He has a colourful dating history, having been married three times and romanced several Hollywood A-listers. And according to insiders, Tom Cruise has set his sights on newly single Jessica Alba, following her separation from husband Cash Warren.

 A source reveals to Closer that the Mission: Impossible actor harboured a crush on Jessica before meeting Katie Holmes in the noughties, saying, ‘Way back in the day, Jessica was on Tom’s list of women he wanted to date, so the fact he would like to test a romantic connection isn’t a big surprise to anyone that knows him. He has always said how gorgeous Jessica is — he’s had the chance to meet her a number of times and has been impressed by how intelligent she is. He’s always been a bit disappointed that he never had a chance with her.’

 The source adds, ‘But now that she’s single again, Tom is excited about the possibility of getting his chance. He’s will wait to make his move and figure out the best way to approach her.’

Actress and entrepreneur Jessica, 43, announced that she and Cash, 46, were separating on Instagram earlier this month, following rumours that their marriage had broken down. After noting her journey of ‘self-realisation’ and ‘transformation’ – both individually and in partnership – she wrote to her 20.6 million followers, ‘I’m proud of how [Cash and I] have grown in our marriage over the last 20 years and it’s now time for us to embark on a new chapter of growth and evolution as individuals.

‘We are moving forward with love, kindness and respect for each other and will forever be family. Our children remain our highest priority and we request privacy at this time.’

Jessica – who before meeting her future husband on the set of Fantastic Four in 2004 was engaged to Michael Weatherly – married film producer Cash in 2008, just a month before she welcomed their first daughter Honor. The couple expanded their family twice more over the years, becoming parents to a second daughter Haven, 13, and a son Hayes, seven.

The couple have candidly discussed the highs and lows of their relationship over the years. Just last April, the mum-of-three opened up about how the nature of marriage changes over time, telling Katherine Schwarzenegger on the BDA Baby podcast, ‘I would say it’s all rosy for two-and-a-half years. But then after that, you become roommates. You’re just going through the motions, the responsibilities. It’s a lot of checking the boxes.’

And Cash laid bare his past insecurities on the Whine Down with Jana Kramer podcast in August 2023, recalling, ‘When [Jessica and I] first started dating, I was really jealous of other guys and the attention she was getting from other guys.’

Meanwhile, thrice-married Tom, 62, was last linked to Russian socialite Elsina Khayrova in December 2023, but they are thought to have split after ‘realising they were not romantically compatible’. Tom’s first marriage to Mimi Rogers lasted just shy of three years, before he tied the knot with second wife Nicole Kidman in December 1990 – ten months after his divorce. He and Australian actress Nicole adopted two children, Isabella, born in 1992, and Connor, born in 1995, but ended up divorcing in 2001 owing to ‘irreconcilable differences’. Following a three-year relationship with Penelope Cruz that ended in 2004, the Hollywood star fell head over heels for Katie Holmes. They married in 2005, welcomed daughter Suri a year later, but divorced in 2012, in an attempt from Katie to protect their only child from Scientology – the controversial religion Tom is a devout follower of.

And now, a source tells Closer that over the years, Tom has admired Jessica from afar, owing not only to her demeanour, but also her star quality in both her acting and entrepreneurial pursuits – namely spearheading her consumer goods business, The Honest Company.

The insider says, ‘Jessica has always commanded a ton of respect from her Hollywood peers. Even before she made it big, there was a real buzz around her. She’s extremely humble and one of the hardest-working characters in the business. The likes of Tom watched on in awe, saying how she was doing everything perfectly.’

In 2013, a damning book called Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison Belief claimed that on the heels of Tom’s break-up with Penelope Cruz, Scientologist leaders launched a private project that saw women ‘audition’ to be Tom’s new girlfriend. The alleged ‘candidates’ were Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Alba, Lindsay Lohan and Kate Bosworth, but Tom’s lawyers vehemently denied that any such ‘audition process’ occurred.

Now, an insider tells Closer, ‘Tom and Jessica are both extremely coy about his attempts to woo her and he insists it wasn’t so much of an audition – and she’s got too much class to share details that could come out and embarrass Tom in any way. But it’s an open secret inside her friendship circle that he was totally interested in her – she just politely declined the opportunity and the rest is history as they say.’

In an interview dating back to 2007, Jessica – who is thought to have a net worth of $100 million – named Tom and Will Smith as her role models.

‘They really understand a brand and go for it,’ she said, adding, ‘By “brand” I mean the ability to open movies worldwide and dictate what you want out of that entire experience and that is yet to be done by women.’

And her ambition is something that still appeals to the Hollywood hotshot to this day, according to an insider who says, ‘Tom would love to date someone rich in life experience and accomplished in her own right. Throw in Jessica’s brains, humility and beauty and she checks every box in terms of what he’s looking for. He’s very keen to get back in the dating scene this year and there are a few eligible females on his list. But Jessica is as appealing to him now as she was 20-odd years ago.’