Katie Holmes Reportedly Blindsided Tom Cruise with Split, Protecting Suri — Now Dad ‘Has No Part’ in Kid’s Life

• Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes seemed happily married for a while, even having a daughter together.
• With time, the couple grew apart, and Holmes decided to separate from her husband.
• Trying to keep her daughter safe, Holmes reportedly kept the divorce a secret from Cruise until she was ready to go her own way.

Katie Holmes had dreamed about her wedding since she was a little girl. Commenting that she used to fantasize about marrying Tom Cruise as she grew up, the actress remarked that the thought of marriage had been prominent in her mind from a young age. When her wedding day finally came, she was over the moon.

Unlike many childhood fantasies, Holmes' dream of marrying the "Mission Impossible" star came true. Eventually, the actress did end up marrying Tom Cruise. Although they seemed happy together for a while, things soon turned sour, forcing Katie to seek out a divorce. But the separation would be difficult for Holmes and her daughter.

2004 - Holmes Reveals Dreaming of Marrying Tom Cruise

Holmes had her breakout role as Joey Porter on the popular teen drama show, "Dawson's Creek." After finding fame on the show, she started to branch out, slowly beginning to star in a number of different projects. In 2004, the actress had an interview with Seventeen magazine, in which she opened up about her personal life.

At the time, she was still a fairly unknown talent, not nearly as famous as she would later become. Nonetheless, Holmes was drawing attention, and in the interview, she shared her dream of marrying Cruise. She stated, "I think every little girl dreams about (her wedding). I used to think I was going to marry Tom Cruise."

2005 - Holmes is Spotted with Cruise

A year after Holmes' interview with Seventeen, the actress was clearly doing well in the entertainment industry. In 2005, she was also allegedly seen with Cruise for the very first time, as they supposedly enjoyed a trip to Europe together. This led some people to suspect a romance brewing.

The event was an awe-inspiring occasion, with Suri drawing more attention than the fireworks show.

2005 - Cruise Professes His Love for Holmes

The couple started dating in 2005, falling in love quickly and moving their relationship along at a thunderous pace. Cruise was open about his love for Holmes from the get-go, appearing with her in public and opening up about their relationship on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." His interview with Oprah went viral after he jumped on the couch.

In the clip of him with Oprah, the actor passionately grabbed the talk show host's hands, jumped onto the couch, and, with the crowd chanting, he dragged Holmes from backstage to reveal they had been dating. He also publicly declared his love for her on the show. By the end of the year, they decided to get married.

October 6, 2005 - Holmes and Cruise Announce Their Pregnancy

Before they were engaged, Holmes started to convert from Catholicism, the faith she had been raised with, to Scientology, a religion Cruise had close ties with. Shortly after, Cruise proposed to Holmes at the restaurant on the Eiffel Tower's second level. A few months later, the pair first announced that they were expecting.

On October 6, 2005, the pair shared with the world that the "Oceans 8" actress was pregnant, and they were excited to raise their child together. Later, Cruise would buy a sonogram machine so he could personally track the little one's development from the comfort of his own home.

April 18, 2006 - Couple Welcomes Suri

Holmes and Cruise could barely wait for their little one to be born, and finally, on April 18, 2006, the pair welcomed their little daughter at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California. The proud parents named their new daughter Suri Cruise, a name that held symbolism in Hebrew and Persian.

The pair explained that they chose the name for its dual meanings—Suri means "princess" in Hebrew, while it translates to "red rose" in Persian. Having welcomed their little one, the couple could now start focusing on the rigors of planning a wedding.

November 18, 2006 - Holmes and Cruise Wed

With a healthy new baby, Cruise and Holmes set out to have the perfect wedding. They planned an elaborate ceremony at the romantic Odescalchi Castle in Italy, inviting a slew of famous friends and treating their families. The event was an awe-inspiring occasion, with Suri drawing more attention than the fireworks show.

From Happy Wedding to Secretive Divorce

Holmes and Cruise had the wedding Holmes had always dreamed of. The location stunned guests with its beauty, and the three-day ceremony was enough to make anyone want to fall in love. The actress looked resplendent in a dress designed by Giorgio Armani, while Suri matched her mom in her own designer garb. The pair sealed the deal with a "double ring" Scientology ceremony.

When Holmes' dad, Martin Holmes, walked his daughter down the aisle, he couldn't have looked more proud. Naturally, Holmes beamed by his side while Cruise stared at his bride with a euphoric smile. The whole room fell silent as Holmes made her way forward. After the ceremony, guests commented on how genuine the couple's love was.

2009 - Holmes and Cruise Form A Close-Knit Family

Holmes and Cruise made a great couple. They were often seen taking their little daughter, Suri, out on strolls and spending quality time together as a family. Holmes was often seen taking little Suri out on walks, especially when the mom was on the set of a new film. People noticed Suri often wearing the same Airforce 1 trainers as her dad.

Although Holmes converted to Scientology before her marriage to Cruise, the actress allegedly had more than a few qualms with the institution after her marriage.

While Holmes was filming in Australia, the family often went sightseeing in the actress's free time. They enjoyed walks in nature and even took Suri to Melbourne Zoo, where Cruise bought his daughter a plush kangaroo and lip gloss for his wife. While Holmes worked, Cruise would look after their daughter, taking her to see her mom every time she had a short break.

Although Cruise was close to his daughter, Suri spent most of her time with her mother, accompanying her to numerous movie sets and joining her in New York while Holmes starred in the Broadway play "All My Sons." Though Cruise joined his wife and daughter in Australia, the actor had to head home early, leaving his daughter with her mother.

June 2012 - Holmes Reportedly Secretly Planned Divorce for Weeks

Cruise and Holmes kept their personal lives largely out of the public eye, with most people believing the couple was happy together. Thus, it came as a shock to many when Holmes suddenly filed for divorce from her famous husband, requesting sole custody of their young daughter. Apparently, it stunned Cruise as well.

Numerous reports have stated that, while Holmes, Cruise, and their daughter were still seen having a pleasant family dinner in Reykjavik, the actress was plotting how she would get herself out of the marriage. For weeks before they split, she allegedly planned how she would go about getting a divorce.

While Cruise was in Iceland filming the movie "Oblivion," Holmes was reportedly scuttling about, getting all the paperwork ready for a divorce. At the same time, she allegedly rented an apartment that she didn't tell Cruise about, so she had a place where she could keep Suri safe from her soon-to-be ex-husband.

While some sources claim that Cruise and Holmes' union had been icy for a long time, neither of the two has confirmed any of these allegations. Nonetheless, Holmes allegedly planned the divorce for a while, ensuring she had everything in place for the next phase in her life before she let Cruise know that she wanted to leave.

June 29, 2012 - Holmes Files for Divorce

Although Holmes converted to Scientology before her marriage to Cruise, the actress allegedly had more than a few qualms with the institution after her marriage. Choosing to protect her young daughter from the Church and everything it entailed, she decided to serve her husband with divorce papers by surprise.

According to some reports, Cruise was caught unaware by the divorce papers Holmes presented to him. Some sources alleged that Cruise believed his marriage was going well before June 29, 2012. He reportedly claimed, "I didn't expect it." Some news outlets have questioned the legitimacy of these claims, however.

July 9, 2012 - Holmes Gets Full Custody

Holmes' preparations paid off after she gave Cruise the divorce papers. Although the star apparently had no idea the divorce was coming, he accepted the documents, and the couple went to court. The court battle was undoubtedly a painful ordeal for both parties, but Katie was adamant about having full custody of Suri.

The case didn't persist for long as the couple settled after a while, and Cruise's lawyer commented that he was glad to come to an amicable agreement with Holmes. The actress was granted sole custody of their daughter, but Cruise pressed to have frequent access to her.

Katie and Suri's Life after the Divorce

Cruise and Holmes managed to work out an agreement after going their own ways. Although Holmes was granted sole custody of their daughter, Cruise had ample opportunity to visit his daughter, which seemed like something he was interested in during the court proceedings.

After divorcing Cruise, Holmes did her best to provide her daughter with a happy life, putting Suri above everything else in her life. Sadly, Cruise never used his visitation rights, allegedly cutting all contact with his daughter. Some suspect the actor chose this because Suri wasn't a Scientologist.

2014 - Holmes Does Everything to Give Suri a Normal Life

After the divorce, Holmes opened up about her life as a single mother. The actress seemed to be happy with her life, saying Suri was the most important thing to her and she was doing everything to give her daughter a "normal" life. She commented, "It's really just about her and that's what I think is most important."

Holmes opened up about the divorce, saying it was the right thing to do for her. After separating from Cruise, she spent a long time caring for Suri instead of working, but eventually made her way back to Hollywood. She commented that she felt "lucky" to be where she was and getting back on her feet after the divorce.

2019 - Cruise Can't Be Close to Suri Due to Religion

Although Cruise was granted ample visitation rights, the actor was last seen with his daughter in 2013, shortly after his divorce from Holmes. The actor has allegedly refrained from seeing Suri at all, and although he hasn't commented on his relationship with his daughter, other ex-Scientology members have speculated why he doesn't visit.

A few other people who have disavowed Scientology after being devout members of the religion have noted that Cruise most likely is "not allowed" to be around his daughter. The Church of Scientology has most likely excommunicated Suri and her mom, which means Cruise wouldn't be allowed to spend time with either of them.

2023 - Grown Up Suri Applies for College while Tom Takes No Part in Her Life

Although Cruise has "no part" in his daughter's life, having last seen her when she was five, Suri is reportedly growing up happily. With Holmes fawning over her daughter, there's little doubt the girl has tons of love in her home, and now that she's almost ready for college, many people are wondering where life will take her.

Holmes has tried to keep her daughter out of the limelight, only occasionally praising her in public. It seems Suri has already started to apply to colleges with her mom's help, and she has helped her mom in some of her directorial pieces. Holmes can't get enough of Suri, gushing, "She's an incredible person."