Inside Keith Urban's Relationship With Model Niki Taylor
Before he married award-winning actress Nicole Kidman, country superstar Keith Urban was hot and heavy with supermodel Niki Taylor. The former couple actually managed to keep their relationship out of the spotlight, dating between 2002 to 2004, according to People.
As fans may recall, Taylor was in a horrific car accident in 2001 and spent six weeks in a coma. When she finally awoke, she decided to make changes in her life and moved to Brentwood, Tennessee with her twin boys, Jake and Hunter, from her first marriage. Soon after, she met Urban, whom she affectionately called "Kiki."
The relationship was serious, with the couple sharing a home in Franklin, Tennessee, as well as getting matching amor vincit omnia tattoos, which is Latin for "love conquers all." The model even appeared in Urban's music video for his song "Somebody Like You," which hit the No. 1 spot on the country music charts in 2002 (as per Country Fancast). But as the country singer's career began to soar, the duo struggled to make their relationship a priority and ultimately called it quits.
Following the separation, Urban signed the deed to their home over to Taylor, who sold it in 2004 (via Virtual Globetrotting). Two years later, Taylor explained the cause of the breakup, noting, "His career got really busy, I got really busy, and we never saw each other."
Keith Urban's career has soared
It's no surprise that Keith Urban's busy career attributed to his breakup with Niki Taylor, with his country music career reaching new heights since the split. The 53-year-old has had 40 Top 10 hits and 16 No. 1 hits so far, according to Billboard. In addition, he has won numerous Academy of Country Music Awards and four Grammy Awards (via Recording Academy). He also served as a judge on "American Idol" during seasons 12 through 15 (as per Screen Rant).
And even in the days when he struggled, which included battling a drug and alcohol addiction, as well as feelings of insecurity, Urban never considered giving up on his career.
"I didn't have any choice. I didn't really have a backup plan," Urban told The Boot. "Right as it felt like, 'Man, I'm hitting my head against a brick wall, nothing's happening,' there'd be a little break of some sort. Even if it was tiny, it was like, 'Okay, there's a little momentum forward. That always kept me going. I always felt like what I was trying to do was just around the corner."
Niki Taylor is a CoverGirl again
After her breakup with Keith Urban, Niki Taylor's career moved in a new direction. She hosted MTV's "Fashionably Loud," was a judge on Bravo's "Make Me a Supermodel" in 2008, and competed on "Celebrity Apprentice" in 2011 (as per Fashionista). But she found that she missed her modeling days. "Reality shows aren't really reality shows," she said. "Some are off the cuff and some are written, but I don't do well at judging people. I liked hosting a show. That was fun, but I prefer modeling. I'm really good at that. I'm really good at selling a product."
With that in mind, Taylor just announced that she is a CoverGirl once again, being named the face of the company's Simply Ageless Collection. "Once a COVERGIRL, always a COVERGIRL! I'm excited to be back with my @covergirl family and to share the secret to healthy, youthful looking skin! I filmed this at home, in my backyard with the help of my hubby & friends — it was a blast," she posted on Instagram.
Keith and Niki have found happiness with others
After Keith Urban and Niki Taylor broke up in 2004, both went on to find true love with other people. Urban has been married to Nicole Kidman since 2006 and they share two daughters, Sunday and Faith (via Biography).
Taylor also wed in 2006, tying the knot with former NASCAR driver Burney Lamar. The couple currently live in Nashville, Tennessee with their kids, daughter Ciel and son Rex, as well Jake and Hunter (as per Hello). Another thing Urban and Taylor have in common: They have both gotten rid of their matching tattoos.
"I am removing it because it is stopping me from getting some work I think," Taylor revealed in 2012, according to Yahoo! Entertainment. "People's eyes go right to it. It doesn't matter how acceptable tattoos are or how many people have them, [attention] goes right to this one on my arm so I've decided to remove it, although I still do have tattoos in other places."