Nicole: I want to live in London

She may be one of Hollywood's hottest properties and a strong contender to pick up an Oscar for her performance in Moulin Rouge, but Nicole Kidman has had enough of living in Los Angeles and is moving to London, it was reported today. "It will be easier to be based in London and move around from there," she said. "I love London and I've had good times there, being on stage at the Donmar with The Blue Room and working on films.

"The children love being in London and the schools are good. We'll spend time in Sydney as well, but I want London to be our main home."

Apparently Kidman dislikes Los Angeles and feels it is the wrong place to bring up her two children. "You can't go for a walk in Los Angeles," she said. "I will rent a house for a while and see what happens. I would like to buy somewhere in London but I bet they put the prices up when they realise it's me."

Even though she plans to live here, Kidman will not be returning to the London stage this year as previously planned. The actress, whose dazzling West End debut in The Blue Room was described as "pure theatrical Viagra", will not be returning to the Donmar Warehouse to perform the two roles she had hoped to fill in the theatre's 10th anniversary season.

But the news is no snub to the Covent Garden theatre. In fact, Kidman's decision to dedicate all of 2002 to the rigours of Hollywood, with no interludes on stage in London, was prompted by none other than the Donmar's artistic director, Sam Mendes.

A source at the theatre said: "Since the beginning of last year, Sam and Nicole have been in discussions about her coming back here to play two roles, Olivia in Twelfth Night and Yelena in Uncle Vanya."

Indeed, as recently as last September's Venice Film Festival, 34-year-old Kidman was enthusiastically talking about her theatrical reunion with Mendes, 35.

Events since then have changed her plans. She has collected accolades for her performance as Satine in Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge - for which she has already collected a Golden Globe and is tipped to pick up an Oscar.

Added to this has been the tidal wave of publicity that followed her separation from ex-husband Tom Cruise.

The combination of critical acclaim and constant media scrutiny has elevated the Hawaii-born actress's already high-flying career into the stratosphere.

"More recently they had another chat," said the Donmar insider. "Sam advised Nicole that perhaps it would be better for her not to choose this particular moment in her film career to commit to something that would have taken her away from Hollywood for nine months - despite the fact that that 'thing' was to be appearing in two of Sam's own productions."

Although this is Mendes's swansong season at the Donmar - he departs at the end of the year, leaving Michael Grandage to take the reins - the Oscar-winning film director will have many more opportunities to produce theatre with Kidman. He plans to set up a new theatre company with Caro Newling, who has long worked at the Donmar as executive director and will also leave the 250-seat theatre not long after Mendes.

Now that Kidman is not to grace the Donmar with her presence this year, speculation turns to Mendes's girlfriend, Kate Winslet, who would be an ideal candidate to step into the breach. However, word is that 26-yearold Winslet is unlikely to be the replacement .

As well as the Donmar, Kidman has been contemplating taking on a role in another great London theatre - the National. Plans are still afoot for her to appear in Ibsen's The Lady From The Sea under the directorship of Trevor Nunn.

Nunn steps down as NT director next April, and the hope is that Kidman will be in London early next year for the run.

So, those Kidman fans who have been so patiently waiting to selfprescribe a dose of "theatrical Viagra" should not despair just yet.

Homes: Celebs on the move