NICOLE Kidman has opened up about the heartbreaking moment she learned her mother had died just before accepting a major award at the Venice Film Festival in 2024.
The 58-year-old actress revealed she was about to go on stage to receive the Best Actress prize for Babygirl when she found out the devastating news.
“I went right back to the room in Venice, got into bed and was completely devastated,” Kidman said, describing how she felt utterly lost without her mum by her side.
She recalled the surreal experience of trying to leave Venice that night, boarding a boat through the canals but turning back, overwhelmed by grief and alone.
Her husband and children were not with her, turning what should have been a triumph into a moment of profound sorrow.
Kidman described the contrast of life and loss in that instant, saying, “That’s when I know I’m resilient, can survive pretty much anything.”
Her mother, Janelle, passed away aged 84, and the actress has since taken steps to become a death doula, inspired by the loneliness her mother endured during her final days.
“As my mother was passing, she was lonely, and there was only so much the family could provide,” Kidman explained.
She hopes to offer impartial care and solace to others facing similar experiences, reflecting on the challenges her family faced balancing careers and caregiving.
Nicole shares two daughters with ex-husband Keith Urban and has spoken often about the close bond she had with her mother, who pushed her to carve her own path.
That legacy lives on as Kidman supports her daughter Sunday Rose’s modelling career, with the teen making her debut at Paris Fashion Week in 2025.
The actress’s candid reflections reveal a deeply personal side behind her public success, highlighting resilience in the face of loss.
