Nicole Kidman says one of greatest regrets is not having more children: ‘But I wasn’t given that choice’

Actor has four children from marriages to Keith Urban and Tom Cruise

Nicole Kidman shares one of her greatest regrets (Getty Images)

Nicole Kidman has opened up about one of her greatest regrets, with the actor revealing that she wishes she had more children.

The Nine Perfect Strangers star, who shares two children with ex-husband Tom Cruise, and two children with husband Keith Urban, reflected on her desire for a bigger family during an interview with Marie Claire Australia for the magazine’s 25th birthday issue.

“I wish I’d had more children, but I wasn’t given that choice,” the 54-year-old said of her greatest regret, adding: “I would’ve loved 10 kids.”

However, according to Kidman, she has been able to make up for the regret through her roles in the lives of her nieces and nephews and multiple godchildren.

“But that’s OK because I get to mother other children. I have six nieces and nephew and I’m godmother to 12. I love mothering, I love kids: they’re quirky, funny and unfiltered. And then you get to see them grow and send them on their way,” the Big Little Lies star said.

Kidman has spoken candidly about her fertility struggles and her desire for motherhood before, with the Academy Award-winner previously sharing during an interview with Tatler that her first pregnancy at 23 was ectopic, and that she also suffered a miscarriage years later, shortly before her divorce from Cruise.

“I know the yearning. That yearning. It’s a huge, aching yearning. And the loss! The loss of a miscarriage is not talked about enough,” Kidman said of her hopes of being a mother and the lost pregnancies.

During her and Cruise’s marriage, which ended in 2001, the couple adopted two children, Isabella, 28, and Connor, 26.

Kidman later welcomed daughters Sunday Rose, 13, and Faith Margaret, 10, with Urban, who she has been married to since 2006 and who she told Marie Claire it was an “absolute miracle” to meet.

However, this is not the first time that Kidman has opened up about her desire to have been able to have more children, as she told People in 2019 that she often thinks about what would have happened if she met Urban earlier in life.

According to Kidman, who met the country singer on her 38th birthday, at which point she recalled thinking: “This is the man I hope I get to marry,” the pair often reminisce about what could have been.

“We go: ‘Oh gosh, I wonder if we met when we were 25, then we could’ve had 10 of them!’” Kidman told the outlet. “But Keith says: ‘Stop the wanting mind.’ It’s far better to be completely in love and satiated with what you’ve been given, what we’ve been given.”

Marie Claire’s 25th birthday edition will be on newsstands 26 August.