KEITH Urban has taken off his wedding ring for the first time since his split from Nicole Kidman.
The actress, 58, had hoped to save their 19-year marriage but country singer Keith, 57, who has battled with drink and drug problems, decided it was over six months ago.
Nicole was said to have been "blindsided" by her husband's decision to split after years of supporting him in his alcohol battles.
Now, Keith has been spotted without his ring and looked in good spirits as he performed his first gig since the split was announced.
The 57-year-old very clearly didn't have the ring on his finger, as he grabbed hold of the mic and sang to the audience.
He was pictured in a black slogan top and jeans while performing at the Giant Center in Hershey PA.
He dropped his song 'The Fighter' from the performance, which was inspired by his love for Nicole, replacing it with his song 'Wild Hearts' which encourages the listener to chase their dreams.
Nicole filed for divorce this week, with sources in the US claiming he has moved on with "another woman".
The four-time Grammy winner secretly bought his own property in Nashville earlier this year, and he and Nicole have told pals they now communicate "largely by phone".
Documents filed at Nashville's Davidson County Circuit Court say the couple have "irreconcilable differences".
A childcare plan for their daughters — Sunday, 17, and Faith, 14 — was submitted for a judge's approval, with Nicole the primary residential parent.
The filing states neither of the couple will get child or spousal support from the other, and each will keep all assets in their name, including copyright and royalties.
Nicole was pictured wearing her wedding ring only days before news broke of the shock separation.
An insider said: "They are both lovely, amiable, gregarious individuals and, on paper, it should have worked – and for many happy years it did.
"But Keith has long had his demons and it was vital to Nicole that he didn't drink if he was to make their marriage work.
Nicole Kidman's raunchiest roles
By Jake Penkethman, TV Reporter
The Perfect Couple – Nicole indulged in a steamy romp with her best friend's ex in The Perfect Couple. She appears opposite Ray Donovan star Liev Schreiber, 56, as married couple Greer and Tag Winbury. There was viewer speculation on how their steamy scenes might be awkward, due to Nicole's close friendship with Liev's ex partner Naomi Watts. According to US outlet Entertainment Weekly, Nicole reached out to her pal prior to playing onscreen spouses with her former beau. "We always check in, we're besties", Naomi told the publication, before adding: "That was very kind of her to do that."
Eyes Wide Shut – This was one of Nicole's more famous roles and saw her star opposite her first husband Tom Cruise. The erotic mystery movie is packed full of extra-marital sex and orgies with Nicole's character at the centre.
Billy Bathgate – Back in 1991, Nicole was left stripping off on multiple occasions for movie Bily Bathgate. Co-starring Dustin Hoffman, Nicole was a young and married socialite who found herself often nude in the racy movie.
The Paperboy – Nicole was seen romping again with a younger man in The Paperboy as she got down with Zac Efron. Aged 44, Nicole found herself getting intimate with Hollywood heartthrob Zac Efron. Zac described the sex scenes with Nicole as "the highlight of my life". Speaking at the time about filming the sex scenes, she said: "For me the freedom of her sexuality was important. I didn't want to be saying 'No' to anything, which is an important part of being an actor, is learning not to shut down and not to say 'No,' and be completely free. I think as you get older you get a little more frightened – that's the thing that makes me want to go, 'Oh, screw this, I just want to push through that,' and never stop myself from fighting through my own insecurities."
"He has openly told friends he's made mistakes in the past, but Nicole was constantly checking on him, making sure he was OK.
"It came from a loving place of concern but it was a case of 'one more drink and game over'.
"It was a lot of pressure on them.
"Their work schedules also made things nigh-on impossible.
"They became like two ships that pass in the night.
"His world tour and her back-to-back blockbuster films meant they physically struggled to see each other."
Nicole is also said to have endured a torrid time filming 2024 erotic thriller Babygirl.
The source went on: "It really messed her mind and body.
"The film saw her having to fake multiple orgasms a day, and it was a head f***.
"For any married couple that would be hard. It is simply not a normal day in the office.
"Nicole will always love Keith, and their children will always be the priority.
"They will, of course, see each other still with the kids, and are working on maintaining their friendship and family bond.
"Who knows what will happen in the future, but they both have a lot of love and support around them."
With an estimated combined fortune of £250million, they are thought not to have a pre-nup.
CHANGING LYRICS
The speculation around the split ramped up overnight as a clip of Keith performing The Fighter at a recent show gained traction with the spotlight on the former couple.
The footage, which was posted by his guitarist Maggie Baugh, 25, on Instagram on Saturday, sees Keith sing: "When they're tryna get to you, Maggie I'll be your guitar player."
Maggie, who joined Keith's band on his High And Alive World Tour in June, added mind-blown emojis and captioned it: "Did he just say that."
The original lyric goes, "When they're tryna get to you, baby I'll be the fighter".
The 2016 song, which originally featured Carrie Underwood, is about the early stages of a relationship when things could go either way.
Keith previously told Billboard: "It's all from a conversation my wife and I had early on in our relationship, that when things get tough, I need to hold her tighter and just try to take care of her.
"The song is about wanting to heal somebody, wanting to take care of somebody, wanting to protect somebody. It's really like a vow in so many ways."
The former couple even sang the song together in their car back in 2016.
Nicole gushed in the clip, "Oh my God, I love this song," before Keith replied, "Good, thank goodness."
In fact, she loved it so much, it reduced her to tears on first listen.
She said in 2017, "I remember when he first played it for me, and I started to cry because…he writes these things – they come out of I don't know – and they're like beautiful gifts."
Fans are now asking if Keith and Maggie's connection is more than musical.
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