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Nicole Kidman and Simon Baker have been at the centre of a media storm in recent weeks following their flirtatious promotion of their new thriller series Scarpetta.
As speculation runs rife about the status of their relationship, Simon's ex-wife Rebecca Rigg, who has been a close friend of Nicole, 58, for more than 40 years, is said to be 'shocked and confused' about the romance rumours.
Now, old photos have resurfaced showing just how close Rebecca, 58, and Nicole once were, with the pair looking very chummy as they attended events together in the '90s with their other pal Naomi Watts.
One throwback image of the trio, shared to Nicole's social media shows the group of girlfriends smiling as they posed with their hands out.
Another black and white photo shared by Naomi, 57, in 2016 shows the close friends applying lipstick in a bathroom mirror together before attending a New Year's Eve event in 1999.
Naomi and Rebecca were so close with Nicole they were also seen stepping out to support the actress during the Los Angeles premiere of her movie The Others in 2001.
Nicole Kidman, 58, and Simon Baker, 56, have been at the centre of a media storm in recent weeks following their flirtatious promotion of their new thriller series Scarpetta
Meanwhile, other pictures show Nicole and Rebecca laughing and having fun with Naomi and Deborra-Lee Furness at a Golden Globes afterparty in 2002.
Simon, 56, was adopted into the same circle of childhood friends when he began dating Rebecca in 1991.
However, the actor has rarely been pictured with Nicole and Rebecca together – barring a Haiti Relief charity event in 2010.
He can also be seen spending quality time with Naomi and Rebecca in a photo shared by American director Scott Coffey in 2018, and again enjoying a glamping 'party' together that same year.
It comes amid reports Rebecca is 'shocked and confused' by ongoing rumours Simon has become romantically involved with his Scarpetta co-star Nicole.
Rebecca was married to The Mentalist star from 1998 to 2020 and is a close childhood friend of Nicole. They also both grew up in the same area of Sydney.
'She loves Nicole like a sister, they've been through so much over the years so it's extremely shocking for her to get her head 'round this,' an insider told New Idea.
The source added Rebecca was unhappy that neither Nicole nor Simon had reached out to her regarding the wild speculation after the pair held hands on the red carpet at their Scarpetta premiere.
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As speculation runs rife about the status of their relationship, Simon's ex-wife Rebecca Rigg, 58, who has been friends with Nicole for 40 years, is said to be 'shocked and confused' about the romance rumours. Rebecca is pictured with Nicole and Naomi Watts in 2001
Now, old photos have resurfaced showing just how close Rebecca and Nicole once were, with the pair looking very chummy as they attended events together in the '90s with their other pal Naomi Watts, 57
'Rebecca is totally in the dark about Nicole and Simon's current status. A lot of their mutual friends assume their hand-holding was a cheesy stunt for the show,' they said.
'But the way they're evading questions about their status and then spending all this cosy time together is giving a lot more validity [to the rumours].
'They [Simon and Rebecca] split many years ago. They're still co-raising their kids and pride themselves on having a totally transparent relationship. For Nicole to act all coy is really breaking the girl code,' the insider continued.
Rebecca is also an acclaimed actress and has appeared in both Australian and Hollywood productions, including a small role in the 1996 movie Jerry Maguire, alongside Nicole's ex-husband Tom Cruise.
Nicole, who has been close friends with Rebecca for over 40 years, is also the godmother of one of her daughters, The Republic of Sarah actress, Stella Baker.
Rebecca is reportedly not the only person left reeling over the romance rumours, with Nicole's ex-husband, Keith Urban, also said to be feeling blindsided.
Nicole and Simon, who play a married couple in the new Amazon Prime series Scarpetta, were seen holding hands and beaming together earlier this month at the show's New York premiere.
At the event, Nicole admitted their chemistry 'just vibrates', while Simon cheekily added: 'I don't kiss and tell.'
One throwback image of the trio, shared to Nicole's social media show the group of girlfriends smiling as they posed with their hands out
Simon was adopted into the same circle of childhood friends when he began dating Rebecca in 1991. However, the actor has rarely been pictured with Nicole and Rebecca together – barring a Haiti Relief charity event in 2010 (pictured)
He can also be seen spending quality time with Naomi and Rebecca in a photo shared by American director Scott Coffey (right) in 2018. All pictured with Chevy Chase
Nicole's ex-husband Keith, 58, is said to be devastated by her rumoured romance, given how quickly she appears to be moving on from their separation last year.
'Seeing Nicole and Simon holding hands was the equivalent of seeing his best mate with his missus, and it did a number on him,' an insider told Woman's Day magazine.
'He knew it was natural for her to lean on Simon – he was also there for Naomi Watts after her split from Liev [Schreiber].'
The source added Keith was seriously hoping that Nicole and Simon were just having fun for the cameras, as a genuine romance between them would devastate him.
Nicole and Simon beamed as they attended the star-studded New York premiere of Scarpetta on March 3, staying by each other's side throughout the night.
The Babygirl actress has been close to Simon for decades, and is also good friends with Simon's ex-wife Rebecca, from whom he separated in 2020.
In January, it was reported that Nicole's A-List friends were encouraging her to move on from her divorce by getting back into the dating pool.
According to Woman's Day, Nicole's close buddy Naomi Watts suggested the Oscar winner date fellow Aussie star Simon.
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