He’s one of Hollywood’s most bankable actors, has a reputation for being nice to fans, and was once voted People’s Sexiest Man Of The Year.
Yet despite these accolades making him one of the most desired men on the planet, Tom Cruise just can’t seem to settle down.
He’s certainly tried in the past – having walked down the aisle three times and dated an array of stunning celebrities.
Yet rather than look forward, it’s alleged Tom has had his mind on one of his exes – second wife Nicole Kidman – who in September announced her split from Keith Urban.
It’s reported that Tom has been following the divorce news ‘closely’ and thinks the split is ‘karma’, having been ‘painted as the bad guy’ when he and Nicole split in 2001.
So is Tom, 63, entitled to feel like he’s had the last laugh?
Is Tom Cruise destined to never settle down? Daily Mail has revealed what his exes said about dating the Hollywood actor over the years (Tom pictured in May)
It’s reported that Tom thinks Nicole Kidman’s divorce from Keith Urban is ‘karma’, having been ‘painted as the bad guy’ when he and Nicole split in 2001 (Nicole and Keith in 2017)
Over the years, Tom has been linked to a stream of Hollywood stars, who have all had very different takes on the Oscar winner.
His first high profile romance was with Cher – a dalliance that raised eyebrows due to their 16-year age gap.
The actor first met Cher, 79, in 1985 when they were introduced at Madonna and Sean Penn’s wedding in Malibu.
They later met again at a White House event to raise awareness for dyslexia and soon embarked on a ‘hot and heavy’ romance.
Recalling the relationship, Cher told Event magazine in 2018: ‘A bunch of people who were dyslexic were invited to the White House, and Tom and I are both dyslexic.
‘We didn’t go out till way later, but there definitely was a connection there.’
Their relationship lasted less than a year, but Tom certainly made an impression on Cher as she later revealed the actor is in her top five all-time lovers.
Speaking on Watch What Happens Live in 2013, Cher had nothing but nice words about the star, recalling: ‘It was pretty hot and heavy for a little minute.
‘He’s a great guy. The person that I knew was a great and lovable guy.’
However, she previously admitted that she couldn’t get her head around his religion, confessing: ‘I don’t get what he does, that whole Scientology thing.
‘I can’t understand it so I just… don’t.’
His first high profile romance was with Cher – a dalliance that raised eyebrows due to their 16-year age gap. She later revealed he was in her top five list of lovers (pictured in October 1985)
Two years after his fling with Cher came to an end, Tom walked down the aisle for the first time when he married Mimi Rogers on May 9, 1987.
Discussing their marriage with Rolling Stone that year, Tom said: ‘I’d never been in love before. Since I’ve been with her, it’s opened me up a lot.
‘I think it’s helped me be a better actor. We live a lot of life together. We share everything… She’s my best friend.’
Mimi, 69 is believed to be one of Tom’s first links to the Church of Scientology which he has since become closely associated with.
The actress was raised in the controversial church and was one of its ‘auditors’ when she met Tom.
However, despite Tom embracing the religion – which critics have described as a ‘cult’ – their union didn’t last and after three years the couple divorced.
Bizarrely, Mimi later claimed it was Tom’S alleged interest in following a devout spiritual path that affected their sex life, and ultimately led to a separation.
‘Tom was seriously thinking of becoming a monk,’ she told Playboy in 1993. ‘At least for that period of time, it looked as though marriage wouldn’t fit into his overall spiritual needs.
‘And he thought he had to be celibate to maintain the purity of his instrument. My own instrument needed tuning.’
Mimi subsequently retracted the comments, claiming she had been quoted out of context.
Two years after his fling with Cher came to an end, Tom walked down the aisle for the first time when he married Mimi Rogers on May 9, 1987 (pictured in 1989)
Tom didn’t waste much time getting over his ‘first love’ as in the same year his divorce was finalised he was already dating Nicole Kidman.
The pair met on the set of their film Days Of Thunder and after a whirlwind romance of less than a year the pair tied the knot on December 24, 1990.
However the union came to an abrupt end when Tom ‘walked out’ on Nicole after 12 years of marriage.
It was reported that Nicole had been left in ‘utter shock’ when he filed for divorce, citing ‘irreconcilable differences’.
According to reports, the reason for him abandoning her was due to her refusal to join the Church of Scientology.
The couple’s two adopted children – Bella, 33 and Connor, 30 – are believed to have followed their father in joining the church and no longer have any contact with Nicole.
Nicole seldom speaks about her estranged children or their religion, yet in 2018 she made a rare comment about their relationship.
‘They are adults,’ Nicole told Australia’s Who magazine. ‘They are able to make their own decisions. They have made choices to be Scientologists, and as a mother, it’s my job to love them.’
Tom didn’t waste much time getting over his ‘first love’ as in the same year his divorce was finalised he was already dating Nicole Kidman (pictured in 1998)
The couple’s two adopted children – Bella, 33 and Connor, 30 – are believed to have followed their father in joining the church and no longer have any contact with Nicole (pictured 2004)
She’s been more forthcoming, however, when it comes to talking about Tom.
Shortly after her divorce the 5′ 11″ actress famously joked that she was able to ‘wear heels’ now she was no longer with the 5′ 7″ Top Gun star.
Nicole also opened up about her painful split in an interview with DuJour Magazine in 2012.
‘I thought our life together was perfect. It took me a very long time to heal. It was a shock to my system,’ she said.
‘We were in a bubble, just the two of us. We became very dependent on one another. I was reeling with Tom, I would have gone to the ends of the earth for him…. I was totally smitten – I fell madly, passionately in love.’
Looking back, however, she told the outlet that she was ‘naïve’ to think that Tom was her happily ever after.
Nicole has also spoken about how her second husband Keith had made her feel ‘protected’ after splitting from Tom.
‘[Keith] just came along, and protected me. He’s loved me, given me confidence, and made me so much more comfortable,’ she told Marie Claire magazine in 2020.
‘He knows who I am and he’s opened me up,’ she said, adding that she identifies as an introvert, while Keith is an extrovert.
Tom then met Penelope Cruz on the set of Vanilla Sky in 2000, but insisted the pair didn’t begin dating until after his divorce from Nicole the following year (pictured in 2003)
Tom then met Penelope Cruz on the set of Vanilla Sky in 2000, but insisted the pair didn’t begin dating until after his divorce from Nicole the following year.
He told The Telegraph: ‘I’ve never fallen in love with someone I’m working with. It’s always been afterwards.’
In a 2003 interview with Marie Claire, Tom opened up about the ‘little things’ he liked to do for the Spanish beauty.
He said: ‘She’ll come home, and I’ll have her favorite kind of food made, have a bath drawn. I like doing stuff like that. She likes my food, so I cook for her. It’s always the little things I like in a relationship.’
The pair eventually went their separate ways in 2004, with Tom’s team assuring that the breakup was ‘amicable,’ and while Penelope issued a statement that read: ‘They remain good friends and still talk often,’ noting, ‘There is no other person involved.’
While Penelope practises Buddhism, it’s not believed that Tom’s Scientology beliefs ended their relationship.
When asked about Tom’s religion in a 2006 chat with The Guardian, she mused: ‘I would feel bad with myself if I didn’t say that I was grateful to [Scientology] because of what I’ve learned about it.’
She also insisted the pair were still on good terms, adding: ‘Tom is a very good man, and I am close to his whole family, his children.
‘I love his children, and his mum, and all of his family, and he’s a great man. The people who have been good to me, they are untouchable.
‘I am very loyal to the people who have meant something to me and have been good to me, very, very loyal.’
In April 2005, Tom embarked on what would become one of his most high profile relationships when he began dating Katie Holmes (pictured 2010)
In April 2005, Tom embarked on what would become one of his most high profile relationships when he began dating Katie Holmes.
The pair made their first public appearance together that month in Rome and were quickly dubbed ‘TomKat’ by the press.
In a moment that has cemented itself in pop culture history, Tom declared his love for Katie during an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show where he jumped up and down on the couch in celebration of their relationship.
The couple went on to welcome daughter Suri in April 2006 and tied the knot seven months later at Odescalchi Castle in Bracciano, Italy in a Scientologist ceremony.
However, it was Scientology that proved to be the downfall of their relationship, with Katie filing for divorce in June 2012 in a bid to protect their daughter from joining the religion.
At the time, Tom said he was ‘deeply saddened’ that wife Katie had filed for a separation, while the actress’ representatives stated: ‘Katie’s primary concern remains, as it always has been, her daughter’s best interest.’
While Katie has remained tight-lipped on her ex, the father of Scientology leader David Miscavige previously claimed Katie feared Suri could end up cutting off all contact with her under Scientology’s ‘disconnection’ policy.
In an exclusive interview with Daily Mail in 2016, Ron Miscavige shared: ‘It’s a toxic policy that ruins lives. Katie just didn’t want that to happen so she left.’
It was Scientology that proved to be the downfall of their relationship, with Katie filing for divorce in 2012 to protect their daughter from joining Scientology (Tom and Suri pictured 2012)
Ron claimed members of the church’s staff, known as Sea Org, moved in with Tom and Katie, to make sure the church’s most valuable celebrity was being properly taken care of.
‘That didn’t sit so well with Katie, of course, and it hurt the marriage,’ he told Daily Mail. ‘She and Tom had big differences about the way life should be lived.’
But the biggest issue was Katie’s fear that Suri might one day ‘disconnect’ from her if they continued to raise her as a Scientologist and if Katie ever fell foul of or leave the church.
‘The big issue really was raising Suri as a Scientologist,’ Ron said. ‘If that happened, some day it was a possibility that she would disconnect from Katie. Ultimately this is what has happened to me.’
Ultimately, it is now Tom who is estranged from Suri, with the pair not seen together publicly since 2013.
