What's Really Going On With Tom Cruise And Hayley Atwell?

Tom Cruise and Hayley Atwell made an appearance together at Wimbledon on July 10, and it looked like the "Mission: Impossible 7" co-stars were enjoying each other's company.

In photos taken during the event, the pair smiled in the crowd as they watched the matchup between Ashleigh Barty and Karolina Pliskova. Atwell had on a white, floral-print dress and ivory maxi coat, while Cruise wore a blue suit. They both rocked dark sunglasses, but Atwell's had large, octagonal frames, while the "Top Gun" actor opted for a pair of his signature aviators. He was filmed enthusiastically applauding for Pliskova. However, Barty ultimately won the final. 

It was evident that Cruise and Atwell did not mind being seen out in public together. The official Wimbledon Twitter account shared a GIF of Cruise standing up and waving to the crowd, and he even took a small bow. Last December, The Sun reported that he was "secretly" dating Atwell after forming an instant connection with her on the "Mission: Impossible 7" set. A source even claimed that the COVID-19 protocols that caused Cruise so much stress played a role in their supposed romance. "Tom and Hayley hit it off from day one," the insider dished. "Lockdown, and all the difficulties that came with it, brought them even closer and they've become fairly inseparable." So is their tennis outing proof that something really is going on between them?

While Tom Cruise and Haley Atwell are clearly comfortable spending time together outside of work, the presence of one of their "Mission: Impossible 7" co-star Pom Klementieff made their outing look like less of a date. Cruise sat sandwiched between the two women, and he said something to Klementieff at one point that made it impossible for her to stifle a laugh.

Cruise certainly does not mind dating fellow A-listers. He has been married to Mimi Rogers, Nicole Kidman, and Katie Holmes, and he dated "Vanilla Sky" co-star Penélope Cruz. However, in December 2020, a source told People that there's no truth to the rumors that Cruise and Atwell are romantically involved, so it's one insider's word against another. Whenever Cruise films a "Mission Impossible" movie, it's not unusual for false romance rumors to blossom. During a 2018 interview with Marie Claire UK, Vanessa Kirby said that friends were texting her boyfriend to make sure that the couple was okay after the tabloids used photos of her and Cruise filming a kissing scene in "Mission: Impossible – Fallout" as evidence that they were romantically involved. "None of it is real," she said.

As for Atwell's romantic history, she and model Evan Jones split in 2015. In 2018, she told Town & Country that she was dating a doctor whom she had known since childhood. She said she does not want to go public with her relationships unless there is "a ring on my finger."

For over two decades, Tom Cruise's love life has been closely followed. Whenever he's romantically linked to someone, it makes headlines. However, between 2012 and 2021, the actor seemingly stopped publicizing his romances. This seemed out of character for someone who has made it clear he's a total romantic. Who can forget his interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which he jumped for joy on her couch while proclaiming his love for now-ex-wife Katie Holmes?

After their split in 2012, reports suggested Cruise was "hesitant" to fall in love again. A source told HollywoodLife in 2019, "Since his heartbreaking, very public split with Katie, Tom has been hesitant to live out loud or fall in love again and sometimes he feels like it will be OK if he never marries again." They added, "Tom does casually date women, but never in public. He is always very private and he does not have a steady girlfriend."

Is he ready to find love again with Hayley Atwell? It seems like it depends if she has the qualities he's looking for.

Apparently, Tom Cruise doesn't want to settle down again unless it's with someone who checks off a few boxes. According to HollywoodLife, the actor, who is fully committed to Scientology, "prefers to romance women who share similar spiritual interests, which narrows his field when choosing a romantic partner." The source continued, "While Tom enjoys falling in love, he also is happy being by himself and has accepted that, after three failed marriages, he may never get married again." The insider also said Cruise "values his privacy and his religion comes before relationships or anything else, which is fine by him."

It's unclear if Hayley Atwell shares the same spiritual values as Cruise, but a source told The Sun that the two "get on brilliantly, and both seem very happy." They also reportedly find time to be together in private. "They've been meeting up after hours, and she's been to his London pad," the insider added. Given both of their histories, if anything is indeed going on, it seems that private is how it will stay.