Keith Urban
Apple Music/YouTube Screenshot

Just one month after her September divorce filing, Nicole Kidman has been stepping out in full 'revenge' mode, but her husband of nearly 20 years, Keith Urban, appears to be worlds away from her glamorous new single life.

While Kidman was playfully 'arrested' for being 'too hot' by Sabrina Carpenter at a Nashville concert, and later photographed grinning from ear-to-ear while boarding a private jet, the tables seem to have turned for Keith. The country star was forced to cancel a tour date last week after coming down with laryngitis, an illness notoriously linked to stress.

This comes after he opened up earlier this month about how 'miserable' he felt while touring. In an episode of his new CBS and Paramount competition series, The Road, which premiered on 19 October, Keith gave a raw confession.

'When you wake up on a tour bus at 3.30 in the morning and you're sick as a dog, you're in the middle of nowhere and you've got to play your fifth show later that night, and you haven't slept, and you miss your friends, and you're missing your family, and you're completely lonely and miserable and sick – and you say to yourself, 'Why am I doing this?' The only answer can be: Because this is what I'm born to do.'

Now, as he navigates this bitter divorce, a source tells us that his lifelong passion for country music has led him to lean on an unlikely shoulder to cry on: one of the genre's biggest legends, Dolly Parton. Insiders said the 79-year-old icon has been giving Keith a 'major boost' during this difficult time.

How Dolly Parton Is Guiding Keith Urban Through His 'Raw' Split

An insider reveals, 'Dolly's one of the few friends Keith's been confiding in, he values her opinion and wise take on life more than pretty much anyone else, so her advice has been a major boost as he looks to reset and go again.'

Keith, 58, has apparently been candid with the music legend. 'He's been very open with her, checking in for long chats and baring his soul about how things fizzled out years ago, that he means no harm towards Nicole but it feels too raw and awkward right now to be in touch as they both need space and time to heal.'

Dolly's advice has reportedly been firm but kind. 'Dolly's told him that's all well and good but right now he must be sensitive to Nicole's feelings, be there for the kids first and foremost, and work through their issues peacefully and with respect.'

The golden couple, who share daughters Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith, 14, left fans in shock with their sudden split just three months after celebrating their 19th wedding anniversary in June with a loved-up social media snap.

Now, as both Keith and Nicole, 58, face a public furore and a potentially lengthy divorce battle over custody and their extensive property portfolio, Dolly has reportedly been instrumental in trying to find a place of 'peace' for the pair.

Keith Urban, a Mediator, and a Hope for 'Peace' at Dollywood

'She's offering to act as a makeshift mediator if Keith thinks that will help,' the insider says. 'She thinks Dollywood [her iconic theme park in Tennessee] would be the perfect neutral ground for a clear-the-air meeting and she's more than happy to host. She always says being kind is what people remember and she's been telling Keith to let go of his pride and take the high road no matter what, for the sake of his own conscience and most of all for his kids.'

This mediation might be needed, as insiders have previously revealed the couple's bombshell decision to separate was 'one-sided'. At the time, sources claimed, 'Nicole did not want the separation and has been trying to save the marriage.'

Speculation quickly mounted over Keith's friendship with fellow country guitarist, Maggie Baugh, 25, who performed with him during his tour over the summer, with insiders revealing that Nicole had been left feeling 'hurt' and 'betrayed.'

It also emerged that Keith had been 'quietly' setting up his own place near their Nashville family home, where Nicole has remained with their daughters, and that the pair had been living separately since the start of the summer.

But the source says Dolly, who tragically lost her husband of 58 years, Carl Dean, earlier this year, still believes that love can conquer all and secretly hopes her arranged meeting could lead to a reunion.

'Dolly's such a big believer in marriage and such a romantic so she took it hard when she found out Keith and Nicole were calling it quits. She really thought they were going to go the distance, everyone in Keith's life did,' the source tells us.

'Dolly's not being judgmental about it, she's a very accepting person. Whenever people bring this up she always says no one should judge the situation because they haven't walked in Keith and Nicole's shoes. But of course she's hoping they can find a way to call off this divorce and find their way back to each other. Dolly is always so optimistic and she's still holding out hope that love will win.'

Dolly, who has been friends with Keith for over two decades and has said he reminds her of her own brothers, is still respectfully urging him to do the 'right' thing by Nicole.

'She's doing her best to guide him through this and help him handle the break-up with as much grace as possible,' the insider says, adding: 'She keeps reminding him that love doesn't have to disappear just because a marriage ends. And she has a way of talking sense into people without shaming them, so everyone's hoping she'll get through to Keith. Dolly has Keith's back, but she's very clear she still thinks the world of Nicole.

'Everyone saw how Nicole helped Keith turn his life around, that can't just be forgotten now that they're splitting up and Dolly is very quick to remind Keith of that, and all their mutual friends, too.'

Meanwhile, Dolly is navigating her own health concerns, having recently delayed her sell-out Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace. After her sister asked fans to 'pray' for her, Dolly clarified, 'I'm not ready to die yet', as it was revealed she will undergo a procedure for kidney stones.

Alongside her relentless work ethic, the source says Dolly continues to support the people she cares about, including Keith.

'What's really impressive is she's doing all this from her sick bed,' the insider says. 'She never stops caring about other people and trying to help, Keith is lucky to have her to lean on through this because she's always going to have his best interest at heart.'

IBTimes UK has reached out to Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman for comments.

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