Nicole Kidman On What She Likes In Men: ‘I Need Protection’

In a recent interview, Nicole Kidman opened up about struggling with shyness as a young star and what she finds attractive in men (including what attracted her to husband Keith Urban).

In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, which will appear in the November issue on newsstands October 23, the 45-year-old actress talked about why red carpet premieres and press conferences have always been such a challenge for her. She admits that during her early years (when she was married to now-50-year-old actor Tom Cruise), she would often lean on her significant other during public appearances, according to Us Magazine.

“In those early years, it was like, ‘I’m here and I’m clutching onto your arm and it all feels a little overwhelming and really strange,'” Kidman confesses. “And I was shy. Deeply shy. I didn’t feel comfortable at all. But I felt very comfortable at home.”

After splitting with Cruise in 2001, Kidman met and married country music star, current American Idol host, and fellow Australian, Keith Urban. Kidman admits that the two share at least one thing in common and that it was one of the main things that attracted her to both of them: confidence.

Kidman says that she has always been attracted to “a bigger, stronger personality; that’s what I’ve been drawn to. I need protection. Everyone wants to feel someone’s got their back.”

Urban has certainly fit that bill, and Kidman says that she has been able to get over some of her personal issues because of him.

“He just gave me confidence through just being very kind to me and understanding me,” Kidman explains. “Opening me up to trying things, my sexuality, those sorts of things.”

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