Nicole Kidman shocked at youthful marriage to Tom Cruise

Actress Nicole Kidman has told of how shocked she is when she looks back at her marriage to Tom Cruise at the age of 23.

The 49-year-old Moulin Rouge! star married the Hollywood A-lister in 1990 and the couple went on to adopt daughter Isabella in 1992 and son Connor in 1995.

They split in 2001, to the surprise of fans who had no idea the marriage was in trouble.

In an interview with Red magazine, Kidman said: "I was so young when I got married. I look back now and I'm like, 'What?'

"You look at Taylor Swift - I mean, how old is she? She's 26. I had two kids by the time I was 27 and I'd been married for four years. But that's what I wanted."

The Australian actress remarried in 2006. She and country music star Keith Urban have two daughters together - Faith and Sunday Rose.

The couple celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary in June.

"That's really big for us. It was really up and down for the first three months," said Kidman.

"We've been through a lot for 10 years. And we're stronger than ever. I say that while touching wood, and no way in a boastful way. I just say it with wonder. Absolute wonder."

The Oscar winner continued: "When you're older, you've been through things, you've made mistakes. So you come into it (a second marriage) still giddy, but wanting it to last.

"We always consider the 'us'. We say: 'Is this going to be good for us?' It's the simplest phrase, but it works."

Kidman revealed she found being a mother a very emotional challenge.

"My husband says I'm 'deeply maternal'. I like to take care of people. It brings me a lot of joy," she said.

"Motherhood is about the journey ... There are going to be incredible peaks and valleys, whether you are an adopting mother or a birth mother. What a child needs is love.

"It's not necessarily great for a child to have an intensely emotional mother. And I don't want to be a helicopter parent so I'm trying to ... balance the intensity of the love. It's really hard."