Nicole Kidman and husband Keith Urban separate after almost 20 years of marriage

Nicole Kidman and country singer Keith Urban have split almost two decades on from tying the knot.

The Oscar-winning actor has separated from the 57-year-old 'since the beginning of summer', according to reports from TMZ.

Sources close to the publication state that Kidman is hopeful of saving their marriage and the Australian is understood to have not wanted to separate.

The pair share two children, 17-year-old Sunday Rose and 14-year-old Faith Margaret, having wed back in 2006.

One of the publication's anonymous sources mentioned that Kidman is 'holding the family together through this difficult time since Keith has been gone' - the BBC have confirmed the sources remarks.

While noting that 'Keith has acquired his own residence in Nashville and has moved out of their family home', which is understood to also be in Nashville, Tennessee.

Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman, pictured backstage at one of his concerts last year, are reportedly splitting after 19 years of marriage (John Shearer/Getty Images for Concert For Carolina)

The pair are understood to have split 'since the beginning of summer'.

While it is still unclear as to why the pair have gone their separate ways, back in July the 'You'll Think of Me' hitmaker reportedly hung up while appearing as a guest on Mix 102.3 - an Aussie radio station - with Hayley Pearson and Max Burford on their morning show.

Discussing Kidman's recent movie A Family Affair, Burford mused: "When I was coming up with something to ask you, Keith Urban, if you happen to play this game, the first thing I thought of, with your beautiful wife Nicole Kidman being on so many great movies, TV shows all the time… I watched a movie with her and Zac Efron recently, A Family Affair."

For the purpose of the radio segment, Burford went on to ask: "What does Keith Urban think when he sees his beautiful wife with beautiful younger men like Zac Efron having these beautiful love scenes on TV and radio?"

Urban's end of the line then went silent in an abrupt end to the conversation.

Confirming that Urban had been disconnected, one of the radio producers said: "I think his team hung up on us because they didn’t want us to ask that question."

A Family Affair was just one of two raunchy films Kidman shot last year with much younger costars she had gotten topless with, having also starred in Babygirl - an erotic thriller.

The Hawaii-born Kidman played Romy, who got into steamy situations with Samuel - played by Harris Dickinson.

While speaking during a press conference for the film, Kidman also explained how shooting the sex scene also left her feeling 'ragged' at times due to the 'radically long takes'.

She said to The Sun: "There was an enormous amount of sharing and trust and then frustration. It's like, 'Don't touch me'.

"There were times when we were shooting where I was like, 'I don't want to orgasm anymore'.

"Don't come near me. I hate doing this. I don't care if I am never touched again in my life! I'm over it.

"It was so present all the time for me that it was almost like a burnout."

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