Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban separate after 19 years amid busy schedules and growing distance.

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban were once Hollywood’s power couple, sharing a bond that fans admired for years. But after 19 years of marriage and two daughters, the pair have now separated. The news, confirmed this week, came as a shock to many, though sources close to the couple say it had been building for a while. TMZ broke the news, reporting that the two have been living apart since the summer, with Kidman said to be against the split.

Reason behind Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s split

According to sources who spoke to the Daily Mail, their hectic schedules and lack of closeness played a big role in the split. “Keith never sees Nicole — either she’s busy shooting or he’s on tour,” one source said. The couple reportedly grew apart over time, with intimacy fading and conversations becoming less frequent.

While Kidman was working in London this summer, filming Practical Magic 2, Urban was travelling across the US for his High and Alive World Tour. Sources say that the time apart only made the situation worse between them. “There was a lot of love between the two and they might not divorce. They been together for decades so there is a world which they can reconcile, but the way their pairing is now, they are not a couple.”

Nicole Kidman was ‘blindsided’

It is believed that Keith Urban initiated the separation, voicing his unhappiness and calling out issues in the marriage. “The intimacy isn’t there, they are just going through the motions [of being married]. If this separation gets them back together, that would be amazing, but Keith had to call her out that he isn’t happy,”  the source told Daily Mail. Nicole, however, was said to be blindsided. “She didn’t want this,” one insider shared, adding that she has been trying to hold the family together. “’She was blindsided, but we shall see how things go during the holiday season and his upcoming birthday [next month]. They have some work to do.”

The couple shares two daughters:  Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith Margaret, 14. Since the split, Nicole has been focusing on the children and leaning on her family for support. Her sister Antonia, in particular, has been described as her “rock” during this difficult time. Urban, meanwhile, has moved into his own place in Nashville while continuing his tour. Kidman and the girls have remained at the family home.

Despite their separation, people close to the couple say divorce is not confirmed yet. There’s still hope they might reconcile. “They’ve been together for nearly two decades, so it’s possible they find their way back,” one source explained.

Kidman and Urban married in 2006 in Sydney. Their marriage saw both highs and lows, from Urban’s battle with addiction early on to supporting each other’s careers at award shows and major milestones. In the past, Kidman has spoken about the reality of marriage, saying, “There’s no perfect anything.” Urban, too, had once called her his “real-life princess” and often praised her strength and spirit.

Back in July, Urban hinted at tension when he abruptly hung up during a radio interview after being asked about Nicole’s bold on-screen roles in Babygirl and A Family Affair. Kidman was married to Tom Cruise for 11 years before divorcing in 2001. During their time together, the two adopted two children.