Nicole Kidman was dealt a cruel blow on the weekend – the actress announced the death of her beloved mother Janelle Ann Kidman and rushed to leave the 81st Venice Film Festival early to be with her family in Australia.
In a touching letter that was read out on her behalf at the event, Kidman said she was “in shock” and said her late mother “shaped me, guided me and made me”.
Nicole, 57, is one of two siblings born to Janelle and her late psychologist father Antony Kidman, who died in Singapore in September 2014 at the age of 75 following a heart attack.
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In a heartbreaking twist, the Kidman family would have marked the 10th anniversary of his death this month, the same month her mother died.
At the time of Antony’s death, Nicole and her husband Keith Urban released a joint statement which said the pair appreciated the outpouring of love and support from those the world over.
“We are all heartbroken but knowing we are in the hearts and thoughts of others is so comforting,” they said at the time.
9honey Celebrity takes a look at the close and incredible bond the acclaimed actress had with her late parents, and what the Eyes Wide Shut star has said about them over the years.
In May last year, Kidman shared a touching tribute to her mother as she marked Mother’s Day in the US, where she is based.
Underneath a sweet flashback photo of herself with her mother Janelle and sister Antonia, 54, she wrote: “My beautiful Mumma, Happy #MothersDay! Couldn’t love you more. And her mother, my grandmother – celebrating you today 💕💕.”
The star was born in Hawaii, and in May 2022 shared a throwback image of herself as a baby at the beach with her mother in the tropical paradise, saying she has “wonderful memories with my mumma back in Hawaii”.
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In 2021, Kidman shared a gorgeous photograph of herself with her late father for father’s day, and also included a snap of herself with husband Keith – and wrote: “Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers and father figures out there. My love to these two fathers in particular.”
Shortly after her father died, Kidman candidly told Vogue US, “You’ve caught me at a time when I’m still recovering and in grief.”
“There are times you go, ‘Gosh, I wish I could just go and hide in a hole and never come out’.”
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She said her children helped get her through her immense grief.
“I have a four-year-old and a six-year-old, and just hearing their laugh… it’s life in its most powerful form,” she said at the time.
She also reportedly told The Weekend Australian her father “was always such a guiding light in my life”.
Kidman also praised her husband Keith when she appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, praising him for the support he showed her after her father died.
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“I recently lost my father and to have my husband just step up in that way it makes me cry. He’s amazing,” she said.
“To be literally carried by your partner, physically at times because I was so devastated, it’s just like, I’ll do anything for that man.”
Kidman also told Elle recently about the time she saw her late father in his coffin when reflecting on her work in Expats.
“I literally started laughing because I was so grief-stricken and so devastated. My body and my psyche just couldn’t handle it,” she explained.
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“It’s like you need this moment to keep you alive, in a way, otherwise you’ll die. It’s too much pain.”
Nicole previously praised her mother in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald.
”She’s given me the fire to pursue the career I have because I’ve always wanted to please her,” she said in 2020.
“But she also carved her own path and wanted her daughters to have the same opportunity to carve their own paths.”
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Nicole also missed out on spending Mother’s Day with her mum due to the closed borders amid the pandemic.
“I would love to be able to have a cup of tea with mum and sit on the balcony and talk about life, and have her tell me what I should be doing,” she said.
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