'I'm still grieving'. Nicole Kidman pays an emotional tribute to her late mother.

Nicole Kidman's 2024 was signposted by the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.

Her career has never been more diverse, and she seemingly appeared in every second major TV series and movie in 2024. At the same time, Kidman was coming to grips with the death of her mother, Janelle Ann Kidman.

Janelle passed away in September, just as Nicole was about to step on stage for the Venice International Film Festival premiere of her film, Babygirl. Kidman quickly left the festival to be with her family, and missed the film's premiere.

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On Friday, while accepting her International Star award from the Palm Springs International Film Awards, Kidman took a moment to dedicate her award, as well as her career, to her late mother.

"I'm still grieving my mum," she said tearfully, dedicating the award to her late mother "because [she] didn't get to do it at the Venice Film Festival".

Kidman received a Best Actress award at the Venice Film Festival, which Babygirl director Halina Reijn accepted on her behalf.

"Thank you for giving me the chance to say, 'This is for my mum,'" she added.

"My whole career has been for my mum and my dad, and they're not here now, but I still want to keep working and giving to the world because I love what I do and I love you all, and I'm so grateful for the privilege to be a part of this film community."

In a previous interview on the CBS channel's Sunday Morning program, the Australian actress opened up about the grief of losing a parent and shared her mother's final words as she was rushing home to be with her.

"The final words my mama said, which I didn't know were gonna be the final words, I was going to get on a plane and go back to see her," the Oscar-winner said.

"And she was like, 'Maybe wait a minute because I think you just need to take care of yourself right now, Nicky.'"

Kidman acknowledged that in her mum's final moments, she offered her daughter profound advice that she'd taken on board.

"I'm doing that more," she admitted. "And I say that to other people in the world, and particularly women. I think we tend not to take care of ourselves. We take care of everybody else but the last person is here."

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The 57-year-old Hollywood legend learnt multiple lessons from two generations of Kidman women. "My grandmother said, 'Be happy,' and my mum said, 'Take care of yourself,'" Kidman said.

Kidman also remembered a moment when her mum came through with more sage advice when she almost gave up her acting career in 2008 after giving birth to her daughter, Sunday, to focus on family life.

She shares two adoptive kids with her ex-husband, Tom Cruise, and two daughters with her husband, Keith Urban.

"When I gave birth to Sunday, I was like, 'Well, I think I'm pretty much done now,'" she recalled.

"My mum actually said, 'I wouldn't give up completely. Keep a finger sort of, in it,' and I said, 'No, no, no, I'm done now.'"

Nicole Kidman with her mother Janelle Ann Kidman in 2018. Image: Getty.

To this, her mum persisted. "Just listen to me," Kidman recalled her mum saying. "I think, keep moving forward. Not saying that you have to do it to the level you've been doing it, but I wouldn't give it up completely," she continued.

"And that came from a woman who obviously was from a generation that didn't have the opportunities that I had, but she had helped create for her daughters."

The loss of Kidman's mother, who passed away at the age of 84, is something that she is understandably still struggling to process.

"She knew everything," Kidman told Sunday Morning correspondent Tracy Smith.

"And that's probably the biggest loss."

This article was originally published in December 2024 and has since been updated with new information.

Feature image: Getty.