Keith Urban hailed Nicole Kidman's intervention as "love in action".

Keith Urban

Keith Urban

The 50-year-old country superstar will always be grateful to his 51-year-old wife for forcing him to confront his addiction issues and enter rehab for the third time shortly after they married in 2006.

In an upcoming tell-all chat with Andrew Denton on 'Interview', Keith said: "My wife put an intervention together - it was love in action."

Keith admitted he felt the 'Big Little Lies' star "was out of his league" before they started dating in 2005.

But he added: "I never felt that I was chasing a dream, I felt I was following a destiny."

The 'Long Hot Summer' singer - who has been married to Kidman for 12 years - became emotional during the interview when talking about his two children, Sunday, 10, and Faith, seven, when asked how he keeps things normal for them.

Keith said: "When you've got to be a dad. I can sometimes be overwhelmed."

The singer previously admitted it was a "miracle" that his marriage "survived" the first year because of his addictions.

He said: "I caused the implosion of my fresh marriage. It survived, but it's a miracle it did.

"I was spiritually awoken with her. I use the expression: 'I was born into her', and that's how I feel. And for the first time in my life, I could shake off the shackles of addiction.

"My dad was an alcoholic, and I grew up in an alcoholic's house - No intimacy."

Keith - who first entered rehab in 1998 - previously admitted he wished he'd gotten sober earlier in his life.

He said: "I wished I had gotten sober many years before I did, but I'm glad I finally got here.

"It has made it possible to do the things I do. I wasn't at my full potential. I was enslaved, is what I was."

And the 'Fighter' hitmaker admitted he still relies on his sobriety sponsor to help calm his anxiety about his career.

He said: "I have a very good sponsor; He said to me, 'Keith, do you know how much people think of you? ... Rarely.' It's a great leveller."