Actor Marcus Graham recalls heartbreak after Nicole Kidman left him for Tom Cruise in the ‘80s

Aussie actor Marcus Graham has opened up for the first time since Nicole Kidman reportedly dumped him for Tom Cruise decades ago.

Marcus Graham talks break-up with Nicole Kidman. Picture: News Corp Australia

The ex-boyfriend of Nicole Kidman has spoken out for the first time since she reportedly left him for Tom Cruise decades ago.

Aussie actor Marcus Graham has given an interview with Woman’s Day in which he recalled his heartbreak after their break-up in the ‘80s, crying for days on end.

“I was devastated and heartbroken, but that’s the way it goes, isn’t it?” he told the magazine.

Marcus Graham says he was heartbroken after his split from Nicole Kidman in 1989. Picture: Getty

Marcus Graham has starred in Aussie soaps E Street and Home And Away. Picture: Richard Dobson/News Corp Australia

Graham, now 59, said he and Kidman were both “young and ambitious” and in their 20s at the time, but she was on the cusp of stardom in Hollywood after scoring a role in the Cruise blockbuster, Days Of Thunder.

The former E Street star said he couldn’t fault Kidman for following Cruise to the US as it would have been a great opportunity for her.

“A brilliant, gorgeous, talented actress meets big Hollywood movie star and he says, ‘Come with me.’ I think you say, ‘Go, are you mad?’ It must have been wonderful for her,” Graham said.

While the actor says he doesn't “have any bad feelings”, he admits that after the split he “cried for a long time”.

“I was really hurt and confused, but I had lots to learn about the world,” he said.

Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise film the 1989 movie Days of Thunder. Picture: Paramount

Cruise and Kidman were married in 1990, one year after meeting. Picture: Getty

Graham – who also found fame on Home And Away and had roles in Charmed and Underbelly – went on to date other famous women, including singer Melissa Tkautz and actress Rebecca Gibney.

He is currently single but says he hasn’t ruled out finding love one day and becoming a father because he’s “a hopeless romantic”.

Kidman went on to marry Cruise in 1990, one year after they filmed Days Of Thunder. They adopted two children together – Isabella, now 30, and Connor, now 28 – but the famous couple split in 2001 after a decade of marriage.

The Aussie actress would later marry singer Keith Urban, who is the father of her youngest daughters: daughters Sunday, 14, and Faith, 12.

Originally published as Actor Marcus Graham recalls heartbreak after Nicole Kidman left him for Tom Cruise in the ‘80s