Keith Urban curbed his partying ways to stay married to Nicole Kidman

Keith Urban says he curbed his partying ways to stay married to Nicole Kidman.

The country music star has battled with drug and alcohol addiction in the past and he returned to rehab in 2006, shortly after tying the knot with the ‘Paddington’ actress.

Keith told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column: “I still make the odd mistake but not anything like I did in the past — and these days I see them coming before everything implodes.”

Keith has two children with the Oscar-winning actress, Sunday, 13, and Faith, 11, and he does his best to maintain a “work-life balance” but it’s not always possible.

He added: “Work-life balance is never really achieved, it is maintained.

“It can easily go out of whack. I’ve learned a lot about how to correct them. Umpteen years ago I never corrected things until it was too late, but now I see it starting to go out and I’m much better at catching it before things implode.”

The 54-year-old musician admits he used to go out and be “totally unaccountable” the next day.

He recalled: “I guess I used to do a thing where I’d work out the ramifications of whatever I did and then decide whether it was worth it — and most of the time I decided it was going to be despite the problems it would cause.

“I’d go, ‘I know this is going to cause this issue, but it will be bloody fun. Night-time me hates daytime me, it’s so true. But the next morning night-time me is nowhere to be found — he’s totally unaccountable.”

Keith doesn’t follow a strict plan for a healthy lifestyle, but takes the necessary steps to live a happy life with his family and be fit enough to tour the world.

He explained: “So these days I don’t do anything religiously to live healthier — I just do what I have to so that I can live the life I want to live. Nothing more, nothing less.

“I want to be able to play for hours on stage effortlessly, and still feel good the next day.”

And he hopes he’s setting a “good example” for his kids.

He added: “Life is very different nowadays. I’m trying to set a good example for the kids, but I still don’t know if I’m getting it right.

“I have made so many mistakes, but you have to work out what works for you. My message to them is always to do what-ever they are passionate about, I don’t care, as long as they work hard to achieve it.”