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How the Heck Did Katie Holmes End Up in Tim Gunn's Laundry Room?

Actress goes to great lengths to avoid paparazzi and ends up in basement of New York building where the fashion judge lives

By Marianne Garvey Mar 17, 2011 2:54 PMTags
Katie HolmesDZilla/bauergriffinonline.com

Residents of New York's famed London Terrace building in Chelsea—the place outspoken Project Runway mentor Tim Gunn calls home—were shocked and amused to find Katie Holmes standing next to their spin cycles on Tuesday.

Wait, was Mrs. Tom Cruise actually doing her own washing and drying?

Not exactly. But we do know how Suri's mom ended up in the basement laundry room...

SO TRUE? SO FALSE? Did Katie let Suri buy X-rated gummies?

After attending a private cocktail party in one of the building's penthouses earlier in the night, Holmes tried to avoid the waiting paparazzi outside the 24th Street building by taking the elevator to the basement, winding through the maze of long hallways and sneakily attempting to surface in a connecting exit on 23rd Street.

But along the way, Holmes made a wrong left turn and ended up walking straight into the laundry room, where a bunch of building residents were folding their delicates.

"People were confused, but delighted. Everybody is laughing about her appearance in the laundry room," one resident tells E! News. "It's the talk of the building. Someone put a note up in there saying 'Mrs. Tom Cruise was here.' "

The building dweller tells us that Holmes was so determined to not have her picture taken she refused to be daunted. On her second escape attempt she got some directional assistance from a denizen and managed to make it to the 23rd Street door.

The building is home to many celebs, and Hillary Clinton, Madonna and Teri Hatcher have all been spotted there—strolling right through the lobby.

WATCH: Katie and Suri step out on a lunch date