“It’s extremely shocking for her.”
NEED TO KNOW
- Rumours swirled about Nicole Kidman and Simon Baker‘s relationship on the Scarpetta promo tour.
- Simon’s ex-wife Rebecca Rigg is said to be confused by their cosy behaviour.
- Rebecca is very good friends with Nicole, with the pair growing up together in Sydney.
- A source close to Rebecca claims Nicole is “breaking girl code”.
- Rebecca and Simon split after 29 years of marriage and three kids.
Nicole Kidman has always cherished her friendship with Rebecca Rigg, even confiding they’re so close they’re effectively “the same person”.
So, it’s understandable that their supposedly unbreakable bond is being put to the test over rampant romance rumours surrounding Nicole and Rebecca’s ex-husband of 29 years, Simon Baker.
In recent weeks, The Mentalist actor and Nicole have been inseparable while promoting their new TV crime drama Scarpetta.
“Our chemistry just vibrates,” Nicole told one interviewer, admitting she headhunted Simon to play her on-screen husband.
“I’ve always wanted to do something substantial with Simon… it was me going, ‘would you please, please, do this with me?’” she giddily enthused.
Are Simon Baker and Nicole Kidman in a relationship?
Unsurprisingly, Hollywood’s rumour mill went into overdrive when the duo stepped out hand-in-hand at the Scarpetta premiere in early March.
Published reports claimed that Nicole’s ex-husband Keith Urban – who is also close with Simon and counts him as one of his “best friends” – is among those wondering what exactly is going on.
Nicole’s team are working behind the scenes to play down the rumours and insist she and Simon remain just good friends.
However, New Idea has learnt the situation has proved confusing for Rebecca, also an actress, who’s likely less than impressed by their flirty vibe.
“She loves Nicole like a sister, they’ve been through so much together over the years so it’s extremely shocking for her to get her head round this new dynamic,” a well-placed source tells New Idea.
Who is Simon Baker’s ex-wife Rebecca Rigg?
Indeed, Nicole, 58, and Rebecca have been friends since childhood. As young women, they forged a famously tight bond with Naomi Watts, referring to themselves as the ‘Aussie Trio’.
Rebecca, 58, and Simon, 56, even moved in with Nicole and her then-husband Tom Cruise in the ’90s, when they were starting their journey on the Hollywood movie ladder.
Nicole is also a doting godmother to one of the former couple’s three kids. Meanwhile, Rebecca is one of the core group of friends who’ve been helping Nicole pick up the pieces following her divorce from Keith, 58.
“Rebecca is totally in the dark about Nicole and Simon’s current status,” shares New Idea‘s source.
“A lot of their mutual friends assume their hand-holding was a cheesy stunt for the show. But the way they’re evading questions about their status and then spending all this cosy time together is giving a lot more validity to the notion that they have turned romantic.
“Rebecca and Simon split many years ago. They’re still co-raising their kids and pride themselves on having a totally transparent relationship.
“For Nicole to act all coy is really breaking the girl code. A lot of Rebecca’s friends are saying it’s pretty insensitive on her part.”