NICOLE’S SECRET HEARTBREAK
As the actress gave an emotional Emmys speech, there were two people she forgot to mention…
As far as career highlights go, it was a pretty hard one to beat. Stepping on to the stage to receive her first-ever Emmy award, Nicole Kidman beamed with pride as she gave her acceptance speech. But as she paid tribute to husband Keith Urban and their daughters – Sunday, nine, and Faith, six – there were two people startlingly absent from her speech: her adopted kids, Bella and Connor.
Collecting the gong for her role as Celeste in Big Little Lies, Nicole, 50, told the audience, “I have two little girls, Sunday and Faith, and my darling Keith, who I ask to help me pursue this artistic path, and they have to sacrifice so much for it. So, this is yours.”
The apparent snub of the actress’ two eldest children, who she adopted with former husband Tom Cruise, made headlines across the world, and left us all wondering whether Nicole’s career renaissance was masking family heartbreak for the star.
Her fractured relationship with Bella, 24, and Connor, 22, is well-documented. While in recent years, Nicole is said to have built bridges with the pair – especially Bella – relations are thought to be frosty once again. Now we’re told it’s in part down to the influence of Scientology – the controversial religion Tom follows.
“It’s always the same pattern – when Bella spends more time with Tom, she becomes far more distant from her mother,” an insider close to Bella tells heat. “Tom broke his ankle in August when a stunt went wrong while filming Mission: Impossible 6. While he’s been out of action in London, Bella has provided an important lifeline for him. She’s the one family member he can open up to as she shares all his beliefs.”
The former couple adopted Bella
as a newborn in 1992, and Connor at the age of four months in 1995. But following their acrimonious split in 2001, the actress was reportedly alienated by Tom’s Scientology community. The siblings, who were raised inside the “church” and are still practising Scientologists, opted to live with Tom – the organisation’s most vocal supporter. However, Nicole was reportedly considered a “suppressive person”, a label given by Scientologists to those who don’t support their beliefs.
Despite being married to Tom for 11 years, Nicole, who was raised a Roman Catholic, never converted to Scientology. In fact, like Tom’s
‘She’s deeply upset about the lack of relationship she has with her eldest kids’
third wife Katie Holmes, it’s been said the organisation was behind the breakdown of their marriage. Nicole has never spoken publicly about Scientology, and is believed to have remained silent for the sake of Bella and Connor.
But, in 2007, she gave some indication of how her alienation from the organisation caused massive cracks in her family. She revealed in an interview, “My kids don’t call me Mommy. They don’t call me Mom. They call me Nicole, which I hate.” She wouldn’t be drawn further on the subject but, three years later, admitted that “it was their choice” to live with Tom, adding, “What can you do?”
While Connor now travels the world as a DJ, Bella has led a low-key life since her wedding two years ago to Max Parker, which Nicole did not attend, settling down in Croydon. Since Tom’s been in London, he’s said to have made an extra effort to connect with Bella and Max.
Our insider tells us, “He’s found himself with a huge amount of free time as he recovers from his injury, and has been spending lots of it with Bella.”
Scientology is well-known for having concerning levels of influence on a follower’s life. When Tom divorced Katie in 2012, it was claimed she had ended the marriage to save their daughter, Suri, from the organisation. In fact, Katie was reportedly terrified of losing Suri to Scientology in the same way that Nicole had been alienated from her kids. Five years later, it seems that the 11 year old has little or no relationship with her father (she’s reportedly not seen him since she was seven), as Scientology demands that members shun any friends or family who criticise it.
Nicole, meanwhile, hasn’t been pictured with either Bella or Connor for years, and it’s taking its toll on the star. “She’s deeply upset about the lack of relationship she has with her two eldest kids and it’s hard for her to cope with,” our source adds. “But she feels there’s not a lot she can do.” ■