Nicole Kidman’s major custody win in the divorce settlement with ex-husband Keith Urban did not come easy, sources told Daily Mail.
Kidman, 58, will have custody of daughters Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith, 14, 306 days a year, while Urban will be with them for 59 (essentially every other weekend). According to the site, custody “became a sticking point,” as “Keith was initially asking for equal time with their daughters.”
The pair waived child support and alimony indefinitely and amicably split their assets, each keeping what they owned individually.
“Equal time” did not sit well with Kidman, who, the site’s sources say, pushed back hard on the request and wasn’t always certain about the outcome.
“It was an especially stressful time for Nic,” Daily Mail claims the source said. “After almost 20 years of marriage, she certainly knows how stubborn Keith can be. She was anxious and distressed that he wasn’t going to budge.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to representatives for Kidman and Urban for comment.
Other “insiders” reportedly close to the situation said that Kidman’s angst about the proposed arrangement echoed that of her first marriage to Tom Cruise.
When Kidman and Cruise divorced in 2001, they settled on a joint custody agreement in which their daughter, Isabella, now 33, and son, Connor, now 30, split their time between the two parents. Ultimately, both decided to live full-time with Cruise and joined their dad in the Church of Scientology.
As for Kidman’s teen daughters with Urban, scheduling details tipped the scales in Kidman’s direction despite Urban’s initial ask for equal custody.
“Keith has a bunch of tour dates coming up, and his schedule is a little less flexible than Nicole’s,” Daily Mail reports one source said. Kidman, on the other hand, “enjoys being a homebody when she isn’t on set. And if need be, her kids can be on set with her on a more consistent basis.”
They added, “That is a much better atmosphere than backstage at a concert.”
Urban’s tour became the subject of speculation in the aftermath of his and Kidman’s separation, as rumors swirled that he was seeing another (much younger) woman on the Nashville music scene.
A source claimed that it “took a lot of wearing down” for Urban to allow Kidman the bulk of the time with their teen daughters. “Keith knew he’d never win the battle in court and finally backed down. That’s when the divorce was settled,” they said.
