Keith Urban gave a sweet speech about his wife, Nicole Kidman, at a special event on April 27. The event was the 49th AFI Life Achievement Award Gala, held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, to honor Nicole’s amazing work as an actress.
Keith, a famous country singer, told the story of how he first met Nicole in January 2005 at an event called G’Day LA in California. He thought she was so special, almost like a princess, and he was too shy to talk to her at first. “I felt nervous because Nicole seemed so amazing and different,” Keith said. But he managed to get her phone number on a small piece of paper.
For a whole week, Keith kept that paper in his pocket. He was scared to call her, but he finally found the courage. When they talked, he learned that Nicole was just a fun, happy person from Sydney, Australia, even though she was born in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The event was extra special because it was the first time Keith and Nicole brought their teenage daughters, Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret, to a big public event like this. Other famous friends, like Reese Witherspoon, Naomi Watts, and Zac Efron, also gave speeches about Nicole.
Keith said he could talk about how talented Nicole is as an actress, but he wanted to share something more personal. He explained how Nicole stood by him when things got tough. They got married in June 2006, but just four months later, Keith had to go to a place called the Betty Ford Center for three months to get help with a problem he had. “I didn’t know if our marriage would last,” he said.
Nicole listened to Keith’s speech with tears in her eyes, sitting next to her friends Meryl Streep, Reese Witherspoon, and Morgan Freeman. Keith told everyone that Nicole chose to love him even when times were hard. “She didn’t give up on me, and that’s real love,” he said. Now, 18 years later, they are still together and happy.
After that tough time, Keith wrote a song called “Got It Right This Time” about Nicole. The song says how she believes in him and makes him a better person. Keith’s speech showed everyone how much he loves his wife and how thankful he is for her.
