Daddy Kidman saves Nicole

NICOLE KIDMAN has publicly credited her father for helping her through her darkest days following her marriage split from TOM CRUISE.

The Aussie actress has revealed her 2001 divorce helped bring her closer to her father Anthony, a devout Catholic. She tells Britain's The Catholic Herald publication that her father's faith was a tonic for her as she coped with life after marriage.

She says, "When I was growing up, I was always much closer to my mother. Dad's a bit of a loner. He was always going off and reading books.

"But when I went through... what I went through... I found out who my father was.

"There comes a time when you're a daughter, that you suddenly need your father. And when you reach out for your father and he's there for you, well,
that's a very special thing.

"My father really stood by me at a tough time. He was strong and dignified, and I'm very grateful that I do have a good father, because, having him there with me at that time, put me in good stead for carrying on with my life and learning to trust again.

"My father has a very strong Catholic faith, and I have never, ever heard him swear... He has a strong set of values, and he has passed his Catholicism on to my sister and me, but when he gives advice it's mostly based on being a good person, being tolerant, and doing unto others what you would wish them to do to you."