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It's hard to believe that a divorce could provide one of the most recognizable images in pop culture.Yet, the split of what was widely considered a power couple — Hollywood stars Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise — unexpectedly resulted in one of the most joyous celebrations of a breakup, resonating with several people walking away from romances that have long run their course.Everyone has seen the pictures in question at least once. The images capture Kidman as she leaves her lawyer's office. It's 2001, and the Moulin Rouge! star just finalized her divorce from the Top Gun actor. And she couldn't be happier.

How Nicole Kidman Celebrated Her Divorce From Tom Cruise In 2001

Dressed in a simple, colorful outfit and trainers, Kidman wasn't pulling a brave, neutral face, but rather chose not to abide by the rules of celebrity which calling for concealing any public display of real, raw emotions.

She wasn't sad either, despite Cruise being the one who had filed to terminate the marriage months prior. Kidman looked elated. Relieved, even, as she threw her hands in the air and pulled her head back, her eyes closed and a smile of victory spread across her face.

Related: The Weird Way Nicole Kidman Stayed In Character For Nine Perfect Strangers

Parallels could be drawn between Kidman's real-life celebration and the "Good for her" cinematic universe. Originated from an iconic one-liner uttered by the late Jessica Walter on Arrested Development, "Good for her" has since been used to describe female characters of cinema and TV getting a positive outcome out of a less-than-desirable situation, often leaving behind a boyfriend or a husband who might not be the healthiest choice for them.

Nicole Kidman And Tom Cruise's Relationship Started On Set

The Australian actress and Cruise met on the set of Days of Thunder in 1989 and immediately hit it off.

At the time, Cruise was still married to his first wife, actress Mimi Rogers. Their divorce was finalized in February 1990 and Tom and Nicole could tie the knot in a ceremony in Telluride, in Colorado's Rocky Mountains, on December 24, 1990. During their marriage, Cruise and Kidman adopted daughter Isabella Jane and son Connor Anthony.

Kidman was only 23 when she got married, while Cruise was 28. Years later, the actress admitted that she married young for love, but being with a powerful man offered her some protection in such an insidious industry.

"I got married very young, but it definitely wasn’t power for me – it was protection," Kidman wrote in a 2018 essay for New York Magazine.

"I married for love, but being married to an extremely powerful man kept me from being s*xually harassed. I would work, but I was still very much cocooned. When I came out of it at 32, 33, it's almost like I had to grow up."

Related: These Are Nicole Kidman's Most Profitable Movies

Two months after the couple renewed their vows on their ten-year wedding anniversary, their representative announced they were separating. It was February 2001, and Cruise filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences and seeking joint custody of their children. They were officially divorced months later.

Why Did Nicole Kidman And Tom Cruise Divorce?

Following her split from Cruise, Kidman dated Lenny Kravitz in 2003. They got engaged but decided to break it off. She went on to marry country singer Keith Urban in 2006, after a year of dating. The couple have two daughters, Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret.

As for Cruise, he dated his Vanilla Sky co-star Penélope Cruz for three years before tying the knot again with actress Katie Holmes in 2006. They have a daughter, Suri. In June 2012, Holmes filed for divorce, with the couple officially going their separate ways the next month.

Both Cruise and Kidman have been tightlipped about their time together since their 2001 split. The divorce between the two Eyes Wide Shut stars was heavily covered by the media at the time the news broke, but the reasons for the split remain unclear.

Rumors suggested that Kidman not being a Scientologist (Cruise and their two adopted children are) might have ultimately driven a wedge between them, though this is something the Big Little Lies actress has always been reluctant to discuss.

"They are able to make their own decisions. They have made choices to be Scientologists, and as a mother, it's my job to love them," she told Australia's Who magazine about her kids in a rare comment made in 2018.

Related: Asking Tom Cruise About Co-Parenting With Nicole Kidman Was Not A Good Idea

In her book, Scientology whistleblower, actress Leah Remini, said Isabella once referred to Kidman as a "f**king SP," which is Scientology lingo for a "suppressive person" who doesn't support their religion and who the church demands to sever all ties with.

Whatever happened between the two actors, one could only imagine that, while Kidman might've felt blindsided by Cruise's decision to divorce, she came to realize it was probably for the best.