Nicole Kidman opens up about her marriage to Tom Cruise

In case you haven't noticed, Nicole Kidman, 45, is everywhere lately. That's because she's doing the rounds promoting her latest flick, The Paperboy. And what better way to jump into the spotlight than to talk about her old life with Tom Cruise...and how much better things are with Keith Urban...in the bedroom?

The Oscar-winning Australian actress has been on the cover of two magazines lately. First, Who Magazine, in which she says she has no regrets about her decade-long marriage to Tom, 50. And now the she's letting us in a little more in the latest issue of Harper's Bazaar Magazine.

In the mag, she reveals she was "deeply shy" and insecure about herself when she was married to Tom — whom, if you recall, she met when she was a fairly green actress on the set of Days of Thunder.

At the time, Nicole felt she had what she calls "fame by association": "It was like, I'm here and I'm clutching onto your arm, and it all feels a little overwhelming and really strange.'"

"I didn't feel comfortable at all," she adds. "But I felt very comfortable at home."

Everything changed when she met her current husband, country crooner Keith Urban, 44, with whom she has two lovely daughters — Sunday, 4, and Faith, almost 2. "He just gave me confidence," she says, "through just being very kind to me and understanding me, opening me up to trying things, my sexuality, those sorts of things." Hmmm.... VERY interesting!

He is "more like an ocean," she says. "He took me out." As opposed to Tom, Keith is "a bigger, stronger personality," Nicole shares. "That's what I've been drawn to. I need protection. Everyone wants to feel someone's got their back."

Ouch! I love what she says about "fame by association" because she's now finally (and in her 40s!) famous for her work and not her personal life. But it's a bit of a jab at Tom, don't you think? That he couldn't protect her or satisfy her...sexually.

Definitely making the headlines.... Which is what actors want when they've got a big movie out. And with Keith on the judging panel of American Idol, it looks like we're going to be seeing a lot more of this family.

To read the interview and see the gorgeous photos of Nicole, visit the Harper's Bazaar website!

Love!
xo Haley-O