Nicole Kidman Makes Rare Comment About Her Children With Tom Cruise

Nicole Kidman speaks out about Connor and Isabella. (Getty Images)
Nicole Kidman speaks out about Connor and Isabella. (Getty Images)

It's been years since Nicole Kidman has been seen with her elder children — Connor and Isabella Cruise — but she has nothing but kind words to say about them.

In a new interview with the Australian magazine Women's Weekly, the Grace of Monaco star, 46, gushed about family life with Keith Urban, saying that the "most important" things to her in life are "the love of our relationship and my children," including the pair's two daughters: Sunday, 5, and Faith, 3. "The joy I get from us as a family outweighs any joy in any other area of my life, by far."

As for her kids with ex-husband Tom Cruise, who lived with their dad after the couple's highly publicized 2001 divorce and whom she hasn't been photographed with since about 2006, she told the mag that she's proud of the adults they have become.

"They have both chosen to pursue creative and artistic fields and are doing brilliantly," she said of 19-year-old Connor, a globe-trotting DJ, and 21-year-old Bella, an aspiring artist. "They are generous, kind and hardworking. And these are traits that I love to see in my children."

While just three sentences, this is the most Kidman has said about Connor and Bella, who were both adopted after she experienced painstaking infertility issues, in recent years.

Bella and Connor out in London in 2013. (Splash News)
Bella and Connor out in London in 2013. (Splash News)

In 2013, she was asked about Scientology, which was reportedly behind her split from Cruise, during an interview with the Hollywood Reporter and quickly shut down the conversation. "I've chosen not to speak publicly about Scientology. I have two children who are Scientologists … and I utterly respect their beliefs," she said. Several months earlier she was more candid, telling Australia's Who magazine, "All of my children are highlights of my life. I remember when we adopted Bella, her looking at me for the very first time. That is extremely powerful, like a kind of birth, too. They are my biggest joys."

Prior to that, Kidman ignited rumors about a troubled relationship between mother and children with her infamous 2007 comment, "My kids don’t call me mommy, they don't even call me mom. They call me 'Nicole,' which I hate and tell them off for it." And a few years later, Bella fueled the fire by telling Australia's New Idea, "I love mom. She's my mom. She's great," but indicated that they rarely see each other. "I see her sometimes and I speak to her," she said.

One of the last pix of Kidman with both Connor and Bella - at a 2004 Lakers game three years after her divorce. (Getty Images)
One of the last pix of Kidman with both Connor and Bella - at a 2004 Lakers game three years after her divorce. (Getty Images)

However, just months ago, Connor said there is nothing but love between them.

"I love my mum. I don't care what people say," he told Australia's Woman's Day magazine in March. "I know that me and mum are solid. I love her a lot. My family means everything. Yeah, I love my music, but the family comes before everything else."

Sounds like a mutual admiration society — at least publicly.