With the return of his famed Mission Impossible film franchise in May, stunning actress Ana de Armas in his life, and the recent announcement that he is set to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Oscars next year, Tom Cruise is certainly flying high.
Yet behind his Hollywood fairy tale, which has seen fans champion Tom, 62, as ‘the best actor of all time’, having made over 70 films, his glamorous life has always been overshadowed by the loss of contact with his estranged daughter, Suri, 19.
Sources have previously told us that the absence of his daughter – who he shares with ex-wife Katie Holmes – remains a ‘painful’ topic for the Risky Business star, who is believed not to have seen his youngest child for a decade.
According to reports, Tom has barely had any contact with Suri since he and Katie, 45, split in 2012 and, although he angrily sued a publication when they reported that he had ‘abandoned’ his daughter, they don’t appear to have had any meaningful relationship since, despite Tom reportedly funding her college fees as part of his divorce agreement.
However, while their estrangement was undoubtedly a bitter pill for Tom – who also shares Bella, 32, and Connor, 30, with his second wife, Nicole Kidman – to swallow, a source now reveals how the father-of-three’s new romance with Ana has his dreaming of experiencing new fatherhood all over again.
A source tells us, ‘Tom’s madly in love with Ana and he’s told friends he wants to have a child with her, or even two. He sees this as a second chance at the kind of family life he’s always wanted.
‘Tom has been talking about wanting to expand his family for years. He laughs at suggestions it might be a bit much for him at this stage of his life. He says he’s never felt fitter or had this much energy. If anything he feels more capable now than he did the first three times around. ‘
Tom’s fatherhood journey has been well documented, and while he remains close to his two eldest children, whom he adopted during his marriage to Nicole, the Church of Scientology devotee has faced heavy criticism.
Tom himself has previously confirmed that Katie – who famously was forced to rent a ‘secret’ apartment in New York and purchase a ‘burner’ phone so that she could start a new life with her daughter – had ‘asserted’ that one of the reasons behind their divorce had been ‘to protect Suri from the Church of Scientology’.
Perhaps tellingly, Tom hit headlines in May when he shared a bizarre answer to one reporter questioning his plans for Father’s Day, answering, ‘Hey, just having fun, man. Making movies, big adventure, having a great time,’ before being spotted walking away and shaking his head.
And while his older children were brought up within the controversial religion, the influence of the Church led to the then eight-year old Bella and six-year-old Connor living with Tom – a decision that built resentment towards their mum, Nicole, who lived apart from them and was later allegedly labelled ‘a f**king SP’ (a Suppressive Person – someone against scientology) by Bella.
However, we recently reported that Tom is now planning a reunion with Nicole and their children this summer, 24 years after their divorce, when the actress spends time in Europe – a sudden U-turn the insider attributed to his budding relationship with Ana.
A source told us, ‘Ana has shifted his perspective on everything in life because he’s just so darn happy right now. It’s made him a lot more magnanimous and he’s seeing things through a very different lens.’
Following their first ‘romantic’ outing to a restaurant in London’s Soho on Valentine’s Day, Tom and Ana – who are currently working together on supernatural thriller Deeper, have now been seen on multiple occasions together, including several private jet flights and dinner in London for her 37th birthday, as well as attending Tom’s close pal David Beckham’s birthday party together.
Last week it was also reported that the pair had been spotted dining privately at exclusive London club, Annabel’s, following reports they’ve shared several evenings at the notoriously discreet celebrity hotspot.
And now the source says those around them are counting down the days until they finally make their ‘secret romance’ official.
The insider says, ‘People around him are a little surprised they haven’t gone public yet, but that’s very intentional. Tom’s keeping this private until all the pieces are in place, he doesn’t want outside noise getting in the way like it did with past relationships.
‘Not that he’s hiding the fact that he’s wooing her, they’re both being very public with their dates. But he was very traumatised by people’s reactions to his excitement over Katie Holmes and he doesn’t want to endure that again. He sees nothing wrong with keeping this close to the chest for now.’
Following her own high profile romance with Ben Affleck in 2021 and Manuel Anido Cuesta, the stepson of the Cuban President, last year, the source adds that Ana is also very discreet – an asset that we’re told has only made Tom fall for her even harder.
‘Ana checks every box from Tom’s point of view,’ the insider tells us. ‘She’s gorgeous, cultured, highly intelligent but perhaps most important of all she’s discreet. It’s his number one prerequisite or condition of dating if you will, the partner he chooses needs to be a human vault who keeps everything totally under wraps.
‘So the longer things go on and Ana continues to prove this, the more he’s convinced that she is The One.’
Ana also has the full approval of Bella and Tom after a source previously told us that Tom had uncharacteristically introduced his grown-up children to Ana very early on.
‘It’s very obvious he’s already made his mind up and everyone in his world, his adopted kids included, has given Ana a two gigantic thumbs up,’ the source adds now.
‘They are moving very quickly. He’s already talking about a proposal and wedding, he wants to be married before they start a family together and those close to Tom are assuming a wedding will be in the near future.’
And the source adds that, with Ana, Tom is hoping for another shot at fatherhood following the sad breakdown of his relationship with Suri, who after starting university last year, appears to be growing yet further away from her famous father.
They say, ‘Tom can’t wait to put a ring on it and start making babies with Ana.’