Nicole Kidman Fights Tears as Russell Crowe Praises Keith Urban  2/24/07

Nicole Kidman fought back proud tears as pal Russell Crowe poured praise on her husband Keith Urban during a recent TV chat, taped for Oprah Winfrey's first Oscars special, which aired on US TV Thursday night (22FEB07).

The actress and Crowe agreed to get candid in a Beverly Hills hotel suite for the intimate star-to-star interview, and Kidman almost lost her famous composure when her Gladiator pal probed her about her husband's recent rehab stint for alcoholism.

The actress begged Crowe to change his line of questioning, telling him, "You'll make me cry now, so stop it," but the actor insisted on letting her know how he felt about his fellow Antipodean.

He stated, "It's very courageous of him to just pack up his toothbrush... I think you need to see it from that prospective.

"He's a proud man, he's a very creative soul and for him to just go, 'Right, I need to do this thing for the rest of my life to progress,' that's pretty cool."

Urban checked into rehab last autumn (06) and spent three months seeking counseling. Upon checking out last month (JAN07), the country singer praised his wife for her support in a video message recorded for his website.

Speaking to Crowe about the struggles the couple has faced, Kidman revealed, "Keith's doing very well. We've been through a lot... We've dug really deep."