Celebrity lawyer reveals the one thing that may have driven a wedge between Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban – and how it could have affected her marriage to Tom Cruise

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have had their marriage and recent divorce dissected in numerous ways since they confirmed their split last month.

And now lawyer to the stars Alphonse Provinziano says there is one element of their 19-year relationship that has yet to be examined—fame. 

The Beverley Hills family attorney, who frequently works with A-listers and other high net worth clients, tells Daily Mail celebrity status can often act as a ‘third partner’ in the unions of high-profile couples.

And it seems lightning struck twice with Nicole, 58, who has now been involved in two highly publicised divorces—first with Tom Cruise, now with Keith.   

‘What you see with fame acting as a third partner, in my experience working in Beverley Hills with high-profile families, it acts like something subtle in a relationship,’ Alphonse says.

‘Celebrities are just like everybody else. They fall in love, they think the world of the other person.

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have had their marriage and recent divorce dissected in numerous ways since they confirmed their split last month 

‘Nicole even said this about her first relationship with Tom is that they were in their own bubble. 

‘Then what happens is that there is intense scrutiny that happens and there is a whole world out there that’s pulling at these people, tugging at them.’

Alphonse, who is a Certified Family Law Specialist, went on to point out the intense public scrutiny and headlines generated by Nicole filing for divorce from 57-year-old Keith. 

‘We can see that Keith has been quoted, allegedly, saying how hard it was to see Nicole in a sex scene in an upcoming release and how much her fame has taken off compared to his,’ he says.

‘There have been suggestions that maybe Keith was checked out and Nicole wanted to save the marriage but he was being tugged away. 

‘You have lots and lots of attention and people in the lives of these very famous people. 

‘Their whole life is magnified and then they’re tugged and pulled away from each other, is what we see.

‘It’s very human as to what goes on, but it’s how it [fame] acts as a third partner. It’s someone that’s stealing the attention away from the other person.’

Beverley Hills family attorney Alphonse Provinzian tells Daily Mail celebrity status can often act as a ‘third partner’ in the unions of high-profile couples

Alphonse went on to say fame could have also taken up space in the relationship between Nicole and her Hollywood star ex Tom, though in a very different capacity. 

Tom, 63, met Nicole on the set of the 1989 film Days of Thunder, with the pair tying the knot less than a year later in 1990 on Christmas Eve. 

The couple adopted two children, Isabella, 32, and Connor, 30, before divorcing in 2001.

When the couple met, Tom had already made a name for himself as a big Hollywood star with films like Top Gun and Rain Man under his belt.

Meanwhile, Nicole was a rising Australian star, with Days of Thunder and her subsequent marriage to Tom being her ticket into an international audience. 

‘The most important thing for celebrity families is really to think early on about how they are going to handle all the fame and attention they are going to have,’ Alphonse says. 

‘I think what really happens in the case of Nicole Kidman is, how much did the fact that they were different genders play into it?

‘She was a woman, she was much more famous [than Keith]. To a certain extent, people have hinted that maybe that drove a wedge between them, maybe that overshadowed Keith.’ 

Nicole, 58, has now been involved in two highly publicised divorces—first with Tom Cruise, now with Keith 

‘And we see the flip side of it where Tom was very famous, arguably a bigger star than Nicole when they first met, and now Nicole most likely at the same level of a star as Tom,’ Alphonse adds.

‘So, how do you deal with that imbalance going into a relationship and maintaining a healthy relationship? 

‘I think that’s the moral of the story is planning ahead for how those things are going to change and how they are going to affect the relationship between two celebrities.’ 

Nicole filed for divorce from Keith on September 30 after 19 years of marriage.

The former couple had been kept apart recently amid their hectic filming and touring schedules.

They share daughters Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith Margaret, 14.

The pair wed in 2006—five years after her split from actor Tom—with Nicole and Keith holding a traditional Catholic wedding ceremony at the Cardinal Cerretti Chapel in her hometown of Sydney, Australia.

One day after the news of their separation broke, Nicole officially filed for divorce and cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split.

According to the filing, the Moulin Rouge actress requested to be designated as the primary residential parent.

Sources also told Daily Mail there were rumours Keith has reportedly moved on with an unnamed female musician.

Speculation had arisen that he could be linked to 25-year-old country star Maggie Baugh as well as 32-year-old singer Kelsea Ballerini.

However, Maggie, who is Keith’s guitarist, is currently already in a relationship of her own with boyfriend Cameron Coley.

Meanwhile, Kelsea and her partner, Chase Stokes, announced their recent split last month.