THE MYSTERY OF NICOLE’S HANDS

What’s wrong with Nicole Kidman?

At the Golden Globe Awards the Best Actress winner’s hands were strangely swollen and a purplish-red.

And a medical expert says she could be suffering from a number of conditions that range from a life-threatening ailment to practically nothing at all.

The “Hours” star was a knockout at the January 19 event at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, glowing in a strapless lilac Yves Saint Laurent gown and huge dangling earrings that were handcrafted in India from jeweler Fred Leighton.

But it was her glowing hands that attracted attention!

“The color of Nicole’s hands is very striking — almost purple rather than just red,” declared Dr. Jerome Litt, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, who has never treated Kidman but carefully examined these ENQUIRER photos.

“This certainly could be far more than a case of simple ‘dishpan’ hands.

“It’s probably nothing serious but certainly should be looked at by a physician.

“This kind of swelling and coloring could be caused by Raynaud’s Phenomenon, lupus, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, and hypothyroidism.

“It can also be caused by certain medications, including some beta-blockers, headache medications and chemotherapy drugs.”

Other researchers have found that intense purple hand color, known as “purple glove syndrome,” can be caused by taking phenytoin, an antiseizure medication.

“Nicole’s hands looked just awful,” one stunned fan, who has seen Nicole several times in recent months, told The ENQUIRER.

“They were raw-looking and her knuckles were swollen. And they’ve looked worse and worse during her public appearances over the past few months.

“We’ve all been wondering what could be wrong with them.”

A Golden Globe insider added: “Nicole looked stunning from head to toe at the awards ceremony, as usual — but someone forgot to take care of her horrible red hands.

“Makeup artists don’t usually do hands, and that’s the case here.

“Nicole is very pale and she has a lot of pink in her skin. She wears full body makeup to these types of events. She should think more about making up her hands!”

Nicole’s big secret for the night was that she concealed a red clown’s nose in her shoe, and was planning to wear it during her acceptance speech, the insider disclosed.

“It would have been her way of spoofing herself for wearing the prosthetic nose that made her virtually unrecognizable for her role in ‘The Hours.’

“Word was that she chickened out on the joke nose.”

When contacted by The ENQUIRER about Nicole’s swollen red hands, her spokeswoman Catherine Olim said: “That’s the silliest thing I’ve ever heard. There is nothing wrong with Nicole’s hands.”