The event, held on April 27, honored Nicole Kidman’s remarkable contributions to film. The broadcast aired on June 17, featuring a nearly four-minute tribute speech by Keith Urban.

Urban’s heartfelt words added a personal touch, focusing on the early, challenging days of their marriage. He began by reminiscing about their first meeting in January 2005 at an event, a moment he described as meeting a “real-life princess.” Despite being incredibly nervous when he first met her, he was determined.

“I did manage to get her phone number on a tiny piece of paper, and I carried that number in my pocket for well over a week,” he shared.

The couple married in June 2006, but their newlywed bliss was short-lived as Urban’s struggles with addiction soon surfaced. He spoke openly about the pivotal point in their relationship when his addictions nearly tore their marriage apart.

“[Barely] four months into our marriage, my addictions that I’d done really nothing about blew our marriage to smithereens,” Urban said. “Four months into a marriage, I’m into rehab for three months, with no idea what was going to happen to us.”

Urban praised Kidman’s strength and love during those difficult times. “And if you want to see what love in action really looks like, give that a whirl,” he said, acknowledging her support. “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.”

“That’s the thing about Nic: she loves life,” he continued. “I’ve actually never met anyone who has such a passion for being alive. She knows the importance of expressing feelings as well. I wasn’t raised like this at all, so our girls are very lucky to be learning from you, baby. I’m learning, too,” he said referring to their two daughters, 15-year-old Sunday and 13-year-old Faith, who were present at the event with them.

Urban concluded his speech by saying, “She has the capacity to love like no one I’ve ever met. And I know tonight’s all about her body of work so far — so far, baby — but next year will be twenty years that I’ve been madly in love with you. Congratulations baby girl, I love you.”

In November 2022, it was announced that Nicole Kidman would be honored with the prestigious AFI Life Achievement Award. Previous recipients of this esteemed award include legendary figures such as Orson Welles, Bette Davis, Alfred Hitchcock, Gene Kelly, Sidney Poitier, Barbra Streisand, Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Denzel Washington, and Julie Andrews. According to the American Film Institute, the award is given to a “recipient whose talent has in a fundamental way advanced the film art.”

Watch Keith Urban’s full tribute to Nicole Kidman in the video below.