Nicole Kidman: The Girl from Oz

Since starring in BMX Bandits as a freckled-faced teenager, the daughter of a biochemist and nursing instructor has come a long from Lane Cove in Sydney. Nicole Kidman’s life story is not exactly a fairytale. After attracting the attention of Hollywood with her breakthrough role in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm, she went on to star in the blockbuster Days of Thunder and steal the heart of Tinsel town’s number one heart throb. For the next 10 years, she and Tom Cruise reigned as Hollywood’s Golden Couple. As well as caring for their two adopted children, Nicole won a Golden Globe for her performance in To Die For and her increasing self-confidence and graceful elegance had won her the admiration of top designers as well as the paparazzi. At the end of the year 2000, Nicole’s perfect life lay torn in tatters, when, out of nowhere, Tom announced their separation. Still recovering from a recent miscarriage, Nicole went into seclusion and was forced to endure the humiliation of headlines branding her the jilted wife, along with front-page photos of Tom with Penelope Cruz. Like a phoenix from the fire, she rose from the ashes and within the year, she’d not only won the global sympathy vote, she’d won another Golden Globe for her all-singing, all-dancing role in Moulin Rouge. By the end of 2003, she’d won an Oscar for Best Actress and had become the highest paid actress in Hollywood, as well as the world’s number one style icon. Since then she’s amassed an impressive collection of honours and accolades for her performances in a wide range of mainstream and independent films. Off-screen, she’s also been putting her time and energy into humanitarian work in her role as a UN Ambassador. After rumours of romances with various co-stars and other celebrities, she finally found lasting love with fellow Australian and country music star Keith Urban and in 2008, the couple embarked on a new love affair with their first child together, Sunday Rose.