Distance wasn’t their only hurdle, either.
“We got married in June 2006,” Keith shared in a speech honoring Nicole at the 49th AFI Life Achievement Award Gala in 2024, according to People, “and barely four months into our marriage, my addictions…that I’d done really nothing about, blew our marriage to smithereens.”
The “One Too Many” singer entered rehab, and as he recalled, he wasn’t sure if Nicole would remain by his side.
“I had no idea what was going to happen to us… and if you want to see what love in action really looks like, give that a whirl,” he continued. “Nic pushed through every negative voice, I’m sure even some of her own and she chose love. And here we are tonight, 18 years later.”
As for Nicole—who shares kids Isabella Cruise, 32, and Connor Cruise, 30, with ex-husband Tom Cruise—it was love at first sight after the two met at a 2005 gala in Los Angeles.
“It was pretty intense,” Nicole shared with People in 2019. “I believed by that point he was the love of my life.”
She added, “Maybe that’s because I am deeply romantic, or I’m an actress, or I have strong faith as well, but I just believed, ‘Oh, okay, here he is.'”
For a look back at Nicole and Keith’s time together, keep reading.
