The Mammoth Book of Hollywood Scandals (67 page)

Others came up with the idea that the men were actually Scientologists, sent to persuade Katie against the divorce, though in reality it would seem that they were actually a team of security professionals who had been hired by Katie to not only protect her and Suri from unwanted attention, but to keep at bay the hordes of press photographers who were camped day and night outside her apartment. When Katie finally left to undertake a pre-booked work commitment, the photographers went crazy, snapping her every move and reporting on everything from what she was wearing to how skinny she appeared and whether or not she looked happy. Shortly after, she was seen taking Suri for ice cream, though the all-too-familiar press crowded them to such a degree that the child had to cling to her mother for support, her eyes screwed up tight, obviously wondering what was going on.

As gossip heated up, speculation was rife that the divorce proceedings would be public knowledge, cracking open the carefully shrouded mystery of Scientology for all to see. However, everyone was surprised when Katie’s lawyer announced on 9 July 2012 that the divorce had already been settled and, what’s more, the details would be kept entirely private. Any stories reporting otherwise were absolutely false, he assured reporters. He then released a statement which read: “We are thrilled for Katie and her family and are excited to watch as she embarks on the next chapter of her life.”

Meanwhile, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes released a joint statement as a conclusion of their marriage. In it they said that they were committed to working together as parents to accomplish what was in Suri’s best interests: “We want to keep matters affecting our family private and express our respect for each other’s commitment to each of our respective beliefs and support each other’s roles as parents.”

And with that the marriage of TomKat was ended, and the two went on with their separate lives. In September 2012, while Tom was in London, Suri Cruise took her first tentative steps into education, enrolling in a school in New York. But while Tom may not have been able to wave her off, hundreds of paparazzi did show up, leaving the child even more distressed than a child of her age would normally be when facing their first day at school.

Since then newspapers have reported every detail of Suri’s life to and from school, such as what the child was wearing that day; what cartoon character she sported on her bag; and whether or not she was hanging out with friends. The intrusion into both her life and that of her parents is extreme, and it would therefore seem that while the relationship between Katie and Tom may be over, the public’s fascination with the former family looks set to run and run for many years to come.