The Biggest Romance Rumors To Ever Surround Tom Cruise

As someone who has been in the spotlight for most of his life, Tom Cruise has been the center of rumors — lots of them. But perhaps the rumors that have gotten most people riled up are those about his dating life.

One of the juiciest bits of gossip? That Cruise has a thing for divorcing his wives when they hit the age of 33. And guess what? It checks out. He split from Nicole Kidman, Katie Holmes, and Mimi Rogers when they were all that age. A former Scientologist told HuffPost that the pattern likely ties back to the religion, as it sees the number as something significant. "The number 33 is known as the 'Master Teacher,'" they explained. "It represents altruism and increasing your positive energy. It's associated with healing powers through love."

Cruise hasn't addressed this bizarre coincidence, but he has had plenty to say about the endless speculation over his love life. From his rumored romance with a Russian socialite to his purported fling with Hayley Atwell, here are some of the biggest rumors about the actor's dating history.

Post-Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise has toned down his infamous couch-jumping antics and kept his love life on the down-low, leaving us guessing about the string of people he's supposedly dated over the years. At the tail end of 2023, rumors started swirling that the actor had started romancing Russian model and socialite Elisa Khayrova after they were reportedly seen canoodling at a party in London. The two reportedly met through the city's social scene and hit it off right away. "Tom's become a popular figure in London among the well-heeled, elite types," a source told Us Weekly. "What started as a basic friendship quickly turned into something more special."

People in their circle initially thought that their relationship might actually go the distance, with an insider dishing to the outlet that the pair was "super happy together" and that the "Mission Impossible" star had been "very relaxed and content with his life right now." But come March 2024, reports surfaced that they had called it quits. Apparently, Cruise had been over the moon that he didn't hesitate to get down on one knee, which sent Khayrova running. Fresh from a messy divorce from a Russian oligarch, she wasn't exactly itching to sprint down the aisle again. "She started questioning why Tom was in such a rush to tie the knot," an insider told Radar Online. "It was all moving too fast. She got scared off."

With both Elisabeth Moss and Tom Cruise being high-profile members of Scientology, it's not shocking that romance rumors have swirled around them. But these weren't your run-of-the-mill dating rumors. Let's just say that they were a tad bit more dramatic. In 2014, rumor has it that they were set to marry — with the blessings of Scientology's higher-ups, no less.

"Friends think it would be great for both of them — and Scientol­ogy," an insider dished to National Enquirer, noting that the church leaders would "be delighted to have their lead­ing member become involved with another celebrity Scien­tologist." The insider added that "The Handmaid's Tale" star was the perfect match for Cruise, both career-wise and personality-wise. "Lizzie is beautiful, smart and a little quirky," they noted. "She can hold her own in the spotlight, and marry­ing Tom would be good for both their careers. She has no children of her own and would be an ideal candidate to have one with Tom."

It wasn't until years later that Moss squashed the rumor. She addressed it in an appearance on "Watch What Happens Live" and set the record straight once and for all. "How did you miss that?" she quipped. "I actually was confused and also mainly got texts from people being like, 'I didn't know, why didn't you tell me?' And just confusion from my friends, but mainly poking fun at it 'cause obviously they knew it wasn't true."

Since time immemorial, it's been Hollywood cliché for co-stars to spark dating rumors, so when Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz were rumored to be an item while filming "Knight and Day," everyone just rolled their eyes — especially Cruise. The two sparked romance rumors right after Cruise's split from Katie Holmes, so naturally, people speculated that Diaz was his rebound.

Cruise's team made it a point to shut down the speculations almost as soon as they started circulating. "It's false. They are friends," one of his reps told E! News. Meanwhile, Diaz herself didn't bother with a direct denial, but she did gush about Cruise's friendship and work ethic, sharing during an appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" that she thinks highly of the actor. "He has a very high standard," she shared, noting that Cruise is the ideal co-star. "So that's a wonderful thing. That's what you know you're getting when you're working with Tom. You know that you're getting someone who is dedicated to bringing the best product forward possible, and to do that, you have to be engaged in the process."

Another co-star who couldn't escape the dating rumor mill with Tom Cruise is Hayley Atwell, his fellow star in "Mission: Impossible." Reports claimed that their on-set chemistry blossomed into a full-blown romance and that they dated for an entire year — an eternity in Hollywood terms. "They really got on well — and they're obviously both very good-looking Hollywood stars so it made for a good match," an insider told The Sun, adding that the two apparently called it quits after wrapping up the film. "But as the latest film winds down they've decided to go back to being friends."

Atwell, who is nearly two decades younger than Cruise, was less than thrilled about the rumors. She expressed her frustration to The Independent, saying she doesn't appreciate being romantically linked to people she holds dear. "I would be like, 'Ooh, there's some weird rumors, and it feels base, it feels a little dirty, it feels grubby, it's not what I'm about,'" she shared, noting that she wasn't happy about the whole ordeal as "it's involving people in my actual life, my personal life, who have to be on the receiving end of that. It becomes invasive." And besides, to her, Cruise may just as well be part of her family. Per the star, she considers Cruise and the film director Chris McQuarrie as "sort of two uncles." And seriously, who's signing up to date their uncle?

After his high-profile marriages went up in flames, you'd think Tom Cruise would steer clear of dating another celebrity. But if rumors are to be believed, he's got his sights set on none other than Angelina Jolie. Is it perhaps to spite Jolie's ex, Brad Pitt, who he supposedly doesn't get along with?

A source told Heat World that the two A-listers have been in talks for years about collaborating but have yet to see it to fruition. Over the years, Jolie was said to have developed an interest in getting to know Cruise on a personal level. "Ange has seemed more open to getting to know him socially," the insider dished. Cruise reportedly feels the same and that he's determined to find a way for the two of them to finally work together so he could have an in. "His goal right now is to convince her to work with him, then he'll romance her," the source added. And, believe it or not, Cruise has apparently learned a thing or two from his past. This time, he's not looking into forcing Scientology at all. "He quite astutely knows that it would send an anti-religious Angelina running in the other direction," they said.

But Jolie isn't exactly biting. She's publicly stated she has no plans to date Cruise — or anyone else — and would much rather focus on tending to her kids. "They are the closest people to me and my life, and they're my close friends," she told WSJ Magazine. "We're seven very different people, which is our strength."