Nicole Kidman looked positively stunning at the afterparty for the premiere of her new TV series, Top of the Lake: China Girl, at Sydney’s glitzy Bennelong restaurant on Aug. 1 — but that’s only one reason why she was drawing so many stares. The Oscar-winning actress was photographed knocking back glasses of red wine and getting touchy-feely with the show’s director, Garth Davis, leaning in close, gazing into his eyes and throwing her arms around him for a long, tender embrace. “She looked like she was on a mission to loosen up — and to get as much attention from Garth as she could,” says an eyewitness.
There’s someone else whose attention Nicole may have wanted to grab: her husband, Keith Urban! Her flirty behavior occurred just six days after the country icon was caught — in exclusive Star photographs — cozying up to a sexy redhead at a July 26 concert in Paso Robles, Calif., while his wife was hundreds of miles away in Los Angeles. “Nicole was furious and stormed out of the house after she saw those pictures,” an insider tattles. “She took their two daughters and flew to Australia, and I imagine she’s happy to be thousands of miles away from Keith.” As for what happened afterward in Sydney, the insider adds, “It isn’t at all like Nicole to be caught acting inappropriately in public. It seemed as if she knew exactly what she was doing — and getting revenge on Keith!”
pushing HIS buttons?
If Nicole wanted to get under Keith’s skin, sources reveal, she may well have succeeded. “It was almost like she was glugging wine to spite him, since he’s struggled with an alcohol problem and takes his sobriety very seriously,” the insider declares. What’s more, people were buzzing about Nicole and the 49-year-old director just last September, when they were photographed nuzzling each other at an event in Toronto for the movie Lion (which Garth directed and Nicole starred in). She also reportedly texts and talks on the phone to him constantly. “I heard Keith had been fuming about their intense relationship during the filming of the movie, and told Nicole she was humiliating him and making a mockery of their marriage,” the insider adds. “But I believe Nicole has been fed up with his reported flirtations, and it’s possible she’s finally reached her limit.”
Indeed, Nicole, 50, may have had serious trust issues with Keith, 49, for years. In 2015, at the same California venue where Keith was busted with the stunning mystery woman last month, the “Kiss a Girl” singer reportedly spent some personal time together with his opening act, sexy country singer Kelsea Ballerini, 23, on their blacked-out tour bus, while Nicole was far away shooting a movie in London. In 2007, just one year after their fairy-tale wedding, Nashville lingerie model Amanda Wyatt, 33, claimed she had a steamy, two-year affair with Keith that continued even after he and Nicole got engaged — right up until they exchanged vows. “I feel sorry for Nicole,” said Amanda. “He’s [cheated] once and he will probably do it again.”
FEARS FOR THEIR UNION
Sources suggest the rift between the couple, whose relationship has reportedly been on shaky ground, may grow deeper than ever! “As it is, they’ve practically been living separate lives with Keith’s touring schedule and Nicole’s nonstop film work,” says another source; in fact, Nicole has begun filming Aquaman in Australia.
Reveals the insider: “Being on separate continents would certainly make it harder for Nicole and Keith to get their relationship back on track. Besides, Keith almost seems more preoccupied with flirting with other women than working on his marriage.” What’s more, considering the couple is collectively worth a reported $300 million, “if their relationship ever deteriorates to the point of divorce, rest assured that it could be pretty contentious,” the insider adds. “And when it comes to their children, I’m sure they’d both fight as hard as possible to keep them. That scenario is probably the last thing either of them want — but it could be that Nicole’s being pushed to the brink.”
