Looks like Nicole Kidman didn’t abandon her kids after all according to … her kids.
A while ago, we ran a post by Women’s Weekly Associate Editor Bryce Corbett about why Nicole Kidman was one of only a few celebrities who inspire vitriol from other women. One of the overwhelming reasons why from commenters was her relationship with her two eldest children – 19-year-old Isabella and 17-year-old Connor – whom she adopted with her first husband, Tom Cruise.
Not being seen in public together for a few years had led people to believe she’d “abandoned her children” for a new life with husband Keith Urban and two daughters, Sunday and Faith.
However, in an interview with New Idea, Isabella Cruise talked openly about her relationship with her mum Nicole, saying they’re very close.
“I love mom. She’s my mom. She’s great. I see her sometimes and I speak to her,” she said. “We’re a very close family. I love all of our family.’
Nicole Kidman with Paperboy co-stars Zac Efron and Matthew McConaughey
“She’s abandoned her children!” the armchair experts cry. But what do we really know about the relationship Nicole has with Isabella and Connor? Or the post-divorce agreement she has with Tom, for that matter? What do we know about the access Nicole has to her own children, the forces that are at play and the pain it may be causing her?
During our interview, I asked Nicole about her eldest children and she spoke frankly about them, her love for them and why she resolutely refuses to discuss their lives in public.
And this seems to be part of the problem. Because she refuses to divulge the particulars of her private life, and because the celebrity-infused culture in which we live has conditioned us to believe every famous person is contractually-obliged to share every detail about their life whenever we demand it, we get annoyed. And into the vacuum left by Nicole’s silence we pour our own fanciful theories.
Comments
25 Comments so far
I rember reading somewhere that Nicole said the truth about us adopting will be told someday.
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Nicole Kidman just freaks me out – for that matter so does Tom Cruise. Fortunately they never bred. Poor kids were just a phase they both went through.
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This is a sad situation. Nicole often discusses Isabella and Connor and in interviews has said that they chose to live with their father and that she’d love them to live iwth her. If you dont think she mentions them then please do your research. Look up interviews with Ellen, The View, Rove, hello mag, and especially watch the interview that she did for 60 minutes with Karl Stefanovic.
Also if you search ‘Nicole, Isabella, Connor’ into youtube you will see a beautiful little motage of photos of them all together. Yes they are mainly from when they were younger but that makes you realise, wow, Nicole brought these kids up from babies and how sad that divorce has contributed to keeping them apart now that they are older.
The other massive factor is this is the Scientology aspect. This is indeed no rumour. In Scientology Nicole is considered a reprssed person and the Church does not like members mixing with supressed people. This is what Nicole is referring to when you “refuses” to discuss their lives. My former boss used to work closely with Angus Hawley (Antonia Kidman’s ex) and he told my boss that after the divorce (not immediately after as if you read an in depth Vanity Fair article from around 2001 which was just post divorce the journo describes being at Nicole’s house and tucking the kids in ect – they lived with her them) but that after, Nicole pretty much was formed to sign over the kids to Tom when they were around 12 and 14 to live the Scientology life. This was then mixed with them probably choosing to live with their Dad after sometime as he lived perm in LA. Well thats what Nicole has said in many interviews – that they choose to live in LA with Tom. The signing over didnt mean that she cant see them. Just that there is quite a lot of control around it eg when Tom’s sister accompanied the kids to Sydney for the wedding of her and Keith. Also it is unfair to claim that she never sees them when, really, its not like photos are going to be captured EVERYTIME. They both spearately came and visited Nicole when she filmed Australia, but that wasnt in the press. But there are a couple of grainy photos I have seen (one is on that youtube montage I mention above) of Connor riding a horse on set. In the 60 minutes she also talks about them meeting Faith for the first time.
Its important to look into this issue more before makign judgements and assuming anything about Nicole’s love and care for her two older children. Despite what you may think about Nicole. It doesnt help that the media portary this issue in a certain way. Even unitentionally when they refer to Nicole as a “mother of one” which I read once. Also the new cover of Vanity Fair’s headline “her greatest role yet” – accompaning a photo with Faith. “Yet” seems pretty insenstive to the fact that she has been a mother since she was 25. Please check all of the above out and I’m sure you will see a different side to this issue.
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Agree with you on the “greatest role yet” headline. How insensitive to other parents of adopted children. And it is actually Harper’s Bazaar, not Vanity Fair, so even worse that it is an Australian magazine.
I think you make some fair points but even though most people probably suspect she rarely has access to the children due to Scientology, I think what people find hard to accept is why she would put up with it. Yes Tom Cruise is a very powerful and famous man but she could have chosen to go public with what she was being forced to do. The media interest would have put big pressure on the church regarding the way they treat certain parents in a divorce. But Nicole opted not to do this – probably because she was told to do so would threaten her career.
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THANK YOU. Seriously. All I ever remember after her split with Tom was how much she loved talking about Connor and Isabella. She loves them dearly and always has. I don’t think the fact that she *can* have children now changes that (I know that before she had suffered a miscarriage and they adopted both C and I).
So I just wanted to say a big “well, DUH” to this article.
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Nicole
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“I see her sometimes and I speak to her”… hmm, hardly a ringing endorsement ahead of this weekend’s Mother’s Day, is it?
Isabella sounds like a considerate young woman who has grown up watching her father in the limelight and is obviously savvy enough to choose her words carefully when asked about her Dad’s ex-wife.
I don’t think any of us really thought the kids would hate her – but it’s also fair enough to feel a tad uneasy at the way Nicole has constantly gushed about her biological daughters in recent years as though her adopted kids never happened. And sorry but there’s nothing in Isabella’s kind but oddly distant words that’s going to reverse that public opinion.
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Well her “dad’s ex wife” is a little unfair I think – she is talking about her Mum.
I don’t believe Nicole has gushed anymore about Sunday Rose or Faith than she has about Bella and Connor over the years. As I said, watch and read all of those interviews I have mentioned in my comment above and you may think a bit differently.
The interview with Karl is especially lovely in how she describes the bond with adopted children, as well as biological and suuogate “children are children, you would die for your children”.
Scientology is a “religion” not to be mixed with. They are very powerful and can threaten your entire existence is you don’t
Unless we are Nicole’s shadow who are we to say how much she has in fact seen the older kids over the years. Tom has been the primary care giver and Nicole has seen them perhaps as much as other divorced parents see their children who do not have main custody.
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Tom cruise Is as crazy as bat shit, lol
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I think Tom is the biological father of both those kids.
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Well it was Nicole who in an awards speech thanked her daughter “Sunday Rose” and no mention of the other two. That’s why people went off her.
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Isabella Cruise doesn’t hate Nicole Kidman ?
I can’t believe that. Isabella knows her !
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Possibly even better than you.
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…..perhaps even better than both of us ?
I have absolutely no reason to dislike Nicole Kidman. I just do. The mention of her name puts me on edge. I cannot bear to watch a film that she is in. I have the same phobia/dislike for crumbed brains in garlic butter sauce.
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I’m with you Bradley. Can’t stand her. Makes my skin crawl. Poor lovely Keith has fallen victim to her “I’m so elusive so therefore must be intelligent” crap when really, there’s pretty much nothing between her ears – apart from botox. She probably left school at 15 to join some north shore drama crowd and hit the jackpot by marrying TC when he was at his prime. Nuf said.
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If she dropped out of school, it was so she could go to NIDA. I know someone who was there with her, and she was apparently a real hit with the staff. I imagine that being popular with NIDA staff will give you a lot of opportunities and a fairly large advantage in the industry in Australia, (and to some degree overseas, if you play your cards right). Obviously, being married to Tom Cruise would be helpful, but I don’t think she just ran into him walking down the street and ended up marrying him.
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That kind of attitude is disgusting.
I don’t often make comments on this site but your comments made my skin crawl. I am not a huge fan of Nicole’s acting but that doesn’t give me the right to make derogatory comments about her personality and private life.
Unless you know her personally, keep your nose out of her private life.
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Wow Jo. She went to one of the best and most academic schools in NSW, which means that I’d say she was far more intelligent than people posting cruel comments about her on websites. Just saying.
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Of all the celebrity break up’s that have occurred over the years I have always admired Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise for not ever letting anyone know what really happened.
It’s simply no one elses business and neither is her relationship with her children, biological or not.
Those who wish to make it their business by making up cr*p need to take a good hard look at themselves!
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I adore Nicole and Keith, I cannot understand the assumption that she would walk away from her children. How often does that ever happen ? If there is any estrangement between her first two children and her it would have more to do with Tom Cruise and custody issues. People are so quick to tear people down whenever they get a chance and its awful. I hope for her sake that its all fine and she sees them as much as she wants too. Having said that I do have my suspicions about Tom’s role in her general estrangement from them publicly at least.
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I like Nicole. Her and Keith look so happy and the looks he is giving her in some of those photos make my heart melt. I hope they last.
I don’t know if it’s just me, but I feel there’s more to this whole Bella and Connor story than everyone lets on. The nosy me hopes to find out one day!
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Agreed, Petal!
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Do you really think that Tom Cruise and his Scietologist mates would let her see her own kids whenever she wants?
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I don’t know much (read: anything) about Scientology. But anyone who believes keeping a child away from her mother, is downright dangerous.
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I think it’s simply that they are Scientologists (Connor especially is apparently very, very into the religion) and Nicole left the faith. Believers are supposed to cut all ties with people who leave, so the fact that she has any relationship at all with them is quite amazing. Plus, their Dad lives in LA and Nicole lives in Nashville. I know where most teenagers would prefer to live.
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