Tom Cruise may be the name on everyone’s lips right now as his blossoming new romance with Ana de Armas heats up, but for his ex-wife Katie Holmes, it’s been years since she’s even dared to utter his name – until now. 

It is alleged that to finalise their divorce as rapidly as possible, Katie – who shares daughter Suri, 19, with Tom – signed an NDA, which would keep her forever silent on what really happened when their fairytale fell apart.

But now a source reveals how Katie, 46, has been following Tom’s new romance, and wants to warn Ana, 37, of what she could be letting herself in for. 

The insider tells Closer, ‘Katie usually goes out of her way not to talk about Tom or their marriage, but everyone knows that she went through hell and wouldn’t wish the experience on her worst enemy. 

‘So to see a beautiful and talented young woman like Ana falling for him, just like Katie did all those years ago, has got to be upsetting. 

‘She is following the situation and feels Ana can’t have any idea of what she’s really getting into.’ 

Katie and Tom, 62, announced their bombshell divorce in 2012 after seven years together and six years of marriage. And while their Hollywood romance appeared to be a real-life fairytale, their split spelled the start of years of speculation over Tom’s ‘controlling’ and ‘creepy’ behaviour. 

Rumours circled over his ‘auditions’ for a new wife and several conspiracy theories surrounding the Church of Scientology – a new faith whose followers believe in trying to rid humans of alien parasites and ‘auditing’ out trauma through a device called an ‘E-Meter’ – hit headlines. 

At the time of their first date, rumoured to be just weeks after she split with her former fiancé, Chris Klein, Katie had been 27 and Tom, already a hugely successful Hollywood star, was 43. 

It was only after their divorce that speculation mounted that Tom’s ‘team’ at the Church of Scientology had been scouting the US for a ‘new wife’ for Tom following his 2001 divorce from Nicole Kidman. 

And in a twist of fate, Seventeen magazine had interviewed Katie just a few months earlier, a chat in which she had quipped, ‘I used to think I was going to marry Tom Cruise.’ 

The couple were engaged just two months after meeting, and now the source says Katie knows better than anyone how easy it is to feel swept away by Tom. 

‘He really does go all out in the courting process,’ the insider says.

‘He makes it hard for anyone to resist, especially as he’s such a model gentleman who makes his girlfriends feel like they’re this central character in an old fashioned romance movie. 

‘Back when Katie was in the same position as Ana, she too was treated like a total princess. So by the time Tom got down on one knee and proposed she was totally blown away and under his spell.’ 

Much like Tom’s date with Ana just ahead of her birthday last month, when they flew to London on board his private jet and shared dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant, Katie’s first meeting with Tom was also rumoured to be on his jet. 

Within weeks, he and Katie made their first public appearance during a romantic getaway to Rome, again drawing comparisons to Tom and Ana’a trip to Madrid, despite the pair working separately. 

Now with Tom appearing to confirm his relationship with Ana after taking her as his guest to long-term pal David Beckham’s birthday party earlier this month, it could only be a matter of time before Tom repeats history and declares his love whilst jumping on Oprah Winfrey’s sofa…

Now the source adds, ‘The way Tom’s romancing Ana is almost identical to how he was with Katie during those early stages. 

‘Sure, he may be based in England now but he’s still operating with the same old tricks: Treating her to flights on his private jet, wining and dining her at all the fancy places in Europe; lavishing her with compliments and helping with her career.’ 

It isn’t clear at which point Tom and Katie’ relationship took a U-turn, but Tom has since confirmed that Katie had ‘asserted’ that one of the reasons behind their divorce had been ‘to protect Suri from the Church of Scientology’. 

Suri was six years old at the time, and rumours of children being sent to Scientology schools and being ‘drafted’ into the Church’s ‘Sea Org’ organisation – in which children as young as 12 are allegedly forced to do manual labour and sign a billion-year pledge to the religion – had hit headlines the previous year. The reports may have played a part, although the Church staunchly denies breaking Child Labour laws.  LEGAL MUST KEEP

Before filing for divorce, Katie was reportedly forced to form an ‘escape plan’ which included a ‘gateway apartment’ in New York and a ‘burner phone’, so that she and Suri couldn’t be traced. 

Now the source says Katie struggled with the ‘other side’ to Tom away from his public persona of a Hollywood heartthrob .

They say, ‘Tom might come across as this knight in shining armour at the beginning, but anyone who’s been with him long enough can attest to the fact that he’s a very intense and difficult partner.

‘It wasn’t until a few months into the marriage that she got to see this side of Tom, especially through her experiences with Scientology, and though she did stick around for some years to try and make a go of things it’s fair to say the writing was on the wall pretty early on.’

And while their divorce settlement reportedly stipulated that Katie couldn’t date publicly for five years, the actress moved on with actor Jamie Foxx from 2013 to 2019, and has since had brief relationships with chef Emilio Vitolo Jr. and musician Bobby Wooten III, which ended in 2022. 

It’s clear Katie has since put her past behind her, but the source says she wishes in some way she could warn Ana. 

The insider explains, ‘Katie has somehow managed to get past those horrible memories after finally plucking up the courage to break free and file for divorce.

‘She isn’t going to reach out to Ana or try to stir up unnecessary trouble, because many years have passed, but it’s safe to say she’s not envisaging a happily ever after for Tom and Ana – or anyone else he winds up with, for that matter.’