With a sparkling career in the film industry spanning over four decades, Tom Cruise’s legendary status in Hollywood now sees him gearing up to receive an honorary Lifetime Achievement Award at the Oscars in November. 

However, when it comes to his life off-screen, his reputation has always been marred by his sensational private life – most famously his 2012 divorce from actress Katie Holmes, who was allegedly forced to flee their home with their young daughter in the dead of night to start a new life. 

Now, 13 years on and Katie, who is reported not to have spoken to Tom since their split and retains sole custody of their daughter, Suri, 19, has caused widespread shock and confusion after ‘liking’ an Instagram post detailing her ex’s budding romance with actress and his upcoming co-star, Ana De Armas. 

And now a source tells Closer how Tom has been left ‘paranoid’ and ‘uneasy’ after hearing the news and is keen to send out one very clear message to Katie. 

The post, which appeared on the social media page of a national newspaper, included a carousel of images of Tom, 63, and Ana, 37, emblazoned with the headline, ‘Tom Cruise and Ana de Armas love affair confirmed.’ 

And while Katie, 46, was seen to like the story, which contained pictures of the rumoured couple enjoying a night out at London’s KOL restaurant on Ana’s 37thbirthday back in April, she later quickly ‘undid’ her like – but not before readers had been left shocked by her sudden interest in the life of her estranged ex., 

‘Katie Holmes liked his post…Did anyone else notice that Katie Holmes liked this post?’ wrote one, while another later added, ‘Argh. We’ve all been there. A friend sends you something and says ‘Don’t like it’ and you accidentally do! Poor Katie.’ 

But while Katie’s reasons for liking the post and ‘reaching out’ to her ex-husband remain unknown so far, the source tells us Tom’s mission is clear – he wants to stay as far away from his ex as possible and already has the cogs in motion to discreetly warn Katie to stay out of his life, too. 

The insider says, ‘Tom and Katie have been living their own lives and not communicated in years, so he is totally stunned and can’t understand why Katie is stalking his romance and leaving ‘likes’ on it. 

‘He thinks she’s asking for attention, and he doesn’t appreciate it one bit. He finds it quite creepy. He’ll never forgive her for that. Tom wants to send a message among mutual friends that he wants nothing to do with Katie and for her to stay out of his life.’ 

Katie’s sudden ‘intrusion’ into his life could not have come at a worse time for Tom. Not only was the latest and much-awaited installment of the Mission Impossible franchise released in May, with Tom telling fans he was also working on a Top Gun sequel, but his private life has also been blossoming after first being linked to Ana earlier this year. 

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.

Late last month 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.

Now the source says that, as Tom moves on with his future, with an insider recently telling us that he hopes to have a family with Ana, the Risky Business star wants to leave his past firmly behind him. 

‘The timing is terrible,’ they tell us. 

‘He’s worked hard to rebuild his life, and he’s in such a good place, the last thing he needs is his ex-wife stirring up headlines and dragging him back into the past. Tom’s made it clear that he has no interest in reconnecting with Katie on any level. 

They continue, ‘He thinks it’s inappropriate, and he doesn’t want Ana or anyone else getting the wrong idea. Even if it was just a social media bungle on her part, it has hit a nerve with Tom. As far as he’s concerned, she made her choice years ago.’

Katie and Tom, 62, were married for seven years before announcing their bombshell divorce. And while their Hollywood romance appeared to be a real-life fairy tale, their split spelled the start of years of speculation over Tom’s ‘controlling’ and ‘creepy’ behaviour.

After their split, it was widely reported that Katie had been 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 when she left. 

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, of which he is a prominent member. 

And perhaps notably, Tom’s $400,000 in child support for his estranged daughter are believed to have ended when she turned 18 last April – further cutting Katie’s ties from Tom, although it’s believed she signed an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) as part of their divorce deal, meaning she’ll never truly have the freedom to speak out.

Now, while we recently reported that Tom has moved on and has reached out to his second wife (Katie being his third), actress Nicole Kidman, the source tells us Tom will never be ready to bury the hatchet with Katie. 

‘He might have made peace with a lot of people recently but no way he’s sitting down with Katie for a latte,’ the insider says. 

‘He hasn’t forgiven her for the way the divorce went down. It was brutal, one day they were married and the next she was gone, lawyers lined up, and he never even got to say goodbye. He always saw it as a betrayal.’ 

The insider says Tom is also very aware that, with such a rocky history behind them, it’s unlikely that Katie’s ‘like’ was any sort of covert sign of an olive branch being reached out. 

And while it seems likely Katie had an innocent slip of the thumb that all exes have probably been guilty of at one point in their lives, we’re told, ‘from Tom’s perspective, there’s no innocent explanation.

‘He thinks she’s poking the bear and trying to get under his skin, or at the very least seeking attention. But he is adamant. He’s told mutual friends he doesn’t want any drama. He’s happy and finally in a good place, but that he also doesn’t want Katie anywhere near his world.’