It's official. Tom Cruise, 41, is a bachelor again - for the second time in three years. The end to his romance with 29-year-old Penelope Cruz has left them friends instead of lovers.
The couple, after spending long periods apart while filming, "broke up at the end of January and it's amicable," said Lee Anne DeVette, Cruise's sister and publicist.
Robert Garlock, Cruz's spokesman, told People magazine neither star is dating anyone else and the two "remain good friends."
Garlock said Cruz had not become a Scientologist like Cruise "but she has taken (church) courses and she's found them beneficial."
He said Cruise's religion was not involved in the split.
Cruz, 29, appeared in last year's Gothika and the recently released Italian film Non ti Muovere (Don't Move). She is to star alongside Charlize Theron in the upcoming Head in the Clouds.
According to Cruz's publicist, the Spanish beauty did not start dating Cruise while they were working on Vanilla Sky, which was about the same time he announced he was divorcing Nicole Kidman, with whom he has two children. Cruz insists she and Cruise did not fall into each other's arms until divorce papers were filed and he was legally on his way to being a bachelor. Apparently, Cruz provided the shoulder Cruise needed to cry on when Kidman's lawyers started drawing up the terms of their divorce.
You have to give them credit for keeping the news of their breakup under wraps for the better part of two months. The announcement puts some things into perspective while throwing others into confusion.
Now we know why Cruise attended the Oscars alone and, reportedly, spent most of his time and energies at the after party deep in conversation with Kidman, who'd recently dumped musician Lenny Kravitz.
But barely three weeks ago, Cruise rushed to Cruz's side in Morocco when she apparently collapsed from exhaustion on the set of her desert drama Sahara.
It's more than Cruise did for Kidman when she had her miscarriage a few months after he dropped the bombshell he was divorcing her, insisting, "Nicole knows the reasons."
So what's next for Cruise?
He can't stay a bachelor for too long or all that nasty gossip about his sexual preference is bound to resurface.
Cruise has a long history of becoming smitten with his leading ladies, stretching back to 1983 when he was that fresh-faced almost-teen in Risky Business. No sooner had filming begun than Cruise began sharing his trailer as well as marquee billing with Rebecca De Mornay.
It was on the set of 1990's Days of Thunder that Tom met Nicole. Being married to Mimi Rogers at the time was no obstacle at all. While his lawyers were preparing the divorce papers, he and Kidman were planning their marriage. And, of course, Cruise met Cruz on Vanilla Sky, so it's a pretty solid pattern for the superstar with the mega-watt smile.
Cruise didn't have a major female co-star on his next film, director Michael Mann's Collateral, and he hasn't announced leading ladies for either one of his two upcoming films, Mission: Impossible 3 or The Few.
This brings added meaning to the news that Tom Cruise is casting about for a new leading lady.
IF WE WERE TOM'S MATCHMAKER:
LISA MARIE PRESLEY: The 36-year-old daughter of the King wouldn't be marrying for money and like Cruise, 41, Presley has a couple failed marriages in her past. But most important, she is also a Scientologist.
KYLIE MINOGUE: She's hot, not too tall, not too young (35) and we know he likes Aussie gals.
TYRA BANKS: The supermodel-turned-producer, 30, has just the right amount of ambition to agree to enter into Cruise control.
ANGELINA JOLIE: She's more than a decade younger than Cruise, but this 28-year-old is ready to settle down. They have also both adopted children of a different race than themselves.
KIM CATTRALL: Falling in love with a younger man worked for Cattrall, 47, on Sex and the City and Cruise's past proves he likes older women.
JENNIFER GARNER: OK, we really can't picture this beauty with Cruise, but since she's the hottest actress out there, she's in his league.
- With files from AP
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