SYDNEY: And the Oscar for the hardest-working Hollywood star goes to Nicole Kidman. According to a report, since 2001, Kidman, 36, has regularly made up to three films a year in an exhausting schedule that has seen her flying across the globe from set to set.In the past three years she has made eight films and has another trio in production. The first, a remake of Seventies chiller ‘The Stepford Wives’, is due out this summer.It will be followed by ‘Birth’, a mystery drama set in New York and ‘The Interpreter’. If that’s not enough, she is set to start work on three more films within the next 12 months — ‘Emma’s War’, ‘The Producers’ and ‘Bewitched’.

The ‘Moulin Rouge’ star also has to finish Oliver Stone’s historical epic ‘Alexander The Great’, in which she plays Olympias.Nicole has made an astonishing 35 cinema and TV movies since her first film was released in 1983. At 12 million pounds a film, she is one of the highest-paid actresses and has won nearly every award going, including an Oscar, two Golden Globes and a BAFTA.And now rumour has it that Hollywood’s hottest couple Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz’ split was due to Tom’s obsession with his ex-wife, Nicole Kidman. However, the pair has fiercely denied that anyone else was involved.

According to The Sun, the stunning Spanish actress reportedly became jealous after discovering that the ‘Jerry Maguire’ star was making late night phone calls to Nicole last year in April.Nonetheless, the rumour mills went into overdrive when the ‘Woman On Top’ star, 29, attended the Cannes festival unaccompanied by Tom in last June.The report says that Penelope was said to have been upset last November when Tom admitted that he was still besotted with Nicole, 36, who is mum to his adopted kids, Connor, eight and Isabella, 11.

“I’ve always loved Nic and I always will. Always. That’ll never change,” the report quoted Tom as having said then.The news of the celebrity couple’s break-up was confirmed by Tom’s sister and publicist, Lee Anne DeVette. “They broke up at the end of January and it’s amicable,” said Lee.

Tom’s spokesman, Robert Garlock, said, “They remain good friends and talk often. There’s no other person involved.” Garlock also denied that Tom’s membership of the Church of Scientology was a factor in the break-up.Nevertheless, Hollywood insiders have revealed that advisers delayed announcing the split until Tom had finished promoting his latest film ‘The Last Samurai’, adds the report.