Telling signs Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's split is turning ugly – girlfriend to custody

Oscar winner Nicole Kidman filed for divorce from husband Keith Urban on Tuesday (30 September) after 19 years of marriage and three months of living apart.

The divorce announcement came as a shock to fans, due to the couple's public displays of affection, but behind closed doors, the relationship is reported to have cooled, leaving Keith unhappy.

Their split was reportedly demanded by the country singer, who promptly moved out of their Nashville home. Sources claim divorce was "inevitable" and initially, this seemed to suggest it would be quick and painless. But as new details emerge, this divorce looks messier and messier. Here are five signs Nicole and Keith's divorce is turning ugly.

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Nicole was 'blindsided' by Keith

According to sources, the film star was "blindsided" by Keith's desire to live separate lives, so much so that she was spotted still happily wearing her wedding ring just days before filing for divorce.

"She was blindsided," a source told the press. "But we shall see how things go during the holiday season and his upcoming birthday. They have some work to do."

Though the couple had been living apart for months, their separation was not necessarily a precursor to divorce, as Keith was off on his world tour and Nicole was on set filming the Practical Magic sequel. Therefore, it wasn't unreasonable for Nicole to feel that Keith's wishes for the marriage to end were a shock, especially since the singer had halted his tour to be with her on her birthday earlier in the summer.

Nicole 'didn't want the divorce', pals claim

After news of the divorce broke, an insider claimed to press that Nicole's sister, Antonia, and the rest of the Kidman family had raced to the actress' side to support her through a separation she "didn't want".

Though Nicole was the one to file for divorce, the source explained that, until very recently, she was still trying to make things work. "She didn't want this," they told People. "She has been fighting to save the marriage." Nicole reportedly made several attempts to save the marriage, but couldn't as Keith was already "done".

As such, the divorce proceedings do not seem to be as mutually desired as they first seemed and may turn nasty as a result.

Keith's pals 'knew before Nicole did'

While Nicole thought the marriage could be saved, Keith's friends reportedly already knew it was over. Speaking to the press, a source revealed that it wasn't a "secret" among the singer's inner circle that divorce was "inevitable".

They continued to explain why all his friends seemed to know before Nicole did and even took a swipe at the actress, saying Keith had to "call her out".

“People close to Keith felt like the split was kind of inevitable. Keith never sees Nicole, either she is filming or he is on tour," the source said. They then added: "The intimacy isn’t there, they are just going through the motions [of being married]. If this separation gets them back together, that would be amazing, but Keith had to call her out that he isn’t happy."

Extreme custody arrangement

Things already seem to be nasty following the release of an extreme custody agreement signed by the estranged couple. As agreed in court, Nicole will get their daughters for 306 days a year, while Keith is left with only 59. Keith and Nicole share daughters Sunday, 17, and Faith, 15, together.

Based on the document, Keith only gets to have his daughters for every other weekend, Father's Day and Thanksgiving, making up just under two months in total.

The document also stipulated that the pair are not allowed to "speak badly" of each other and should "encourage" their daughters to have good relationships with both their parents.

New girlfriend rumours

Sources in the US say Keith has already moved on to someone else. One said: "All the signs point to the fact Keith is with another woman. Let's just say, Nicole doesn't dispute that, but she's still shocked over it."

Another told the Daily Mail that "everyone is talking about it", and the new girlfriend is "younger" than Nicole. "The rumour is that he's with a younger woman in the business. It's all everyone is talking about. Everyone wants to know who, but so far, that's a mystery."

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