Hollywood star Nicole Kidman has revealed that she is currently training to become a death doula, a decision deeply influenced by her personal experience during her mother’s final days.
Kidman shared that when her mother, Janelle Ann Kidman, passed away in September 2024 at the age of 84, she often felt there wasn’t enough emotional support available. While she and her sister did their best to care for her, balancing family responsibilities, children, and professional commitments made it difficult to be constantly present.
Reflecting on that time, Kidman said it made her realize the importance of having someone who could offer calm, unbiased companionship and comfort to individuals nearing the end of life. This realization inspired her to explore becoming a death doula—someone who provides emotional, spiritual, and practical support to people and families dealing with terminal illness, death, and grief.
She is not alone in taking this path. Actress Riley Keough previously trained as a death doula in 2021, sharing that helping others cope with loss also aided her own healing after the tragic death of her brother, Benjamin Keough, and later her mother, Lisa Marie Presley.
Similarly, filmmaker Chloé Zhao has spoken about undergoing similar training, saying it helped her confront and better understand her own fears surrounding death.
For Kidman, this step represents not just a personal journey, but a meaningful way to offer compassion and presence to others during life’s most difficult moments.
With inputs from IANS