Tom and Penélope Call It Quits

Cruise and Cruz end their three-year relationship; the split's called "amicable"

By Sarah Hall Mar 26, 2004 6:40 AMTags

Tom and Penélope have ended their Cruise-Cruz merger.

The heartthrob duo split up at the end of January, according to Cruise's sister and new publicist Lee Anne DeVette. She called the split "amicable."

The breakup is attributed at least in part to the comely celebs' busy filming schedules, which kept them apart for long periods of time.

Cruz's spokesman, Robert Garlock, told People magazine that neither star is dating anyone else and that they "remain good friends."

E! Online's gossip Guru Ted Casablanca revealed as much in last month's Awful Truth column when he broke the news of their breakup. Obviously in denial at that time, a rep sniffed the story was "absolutely not true."

While Cruise is highly active in the Church of Scientology, Cruz never took the conversion plunge.

According to Garlock, Cruz took "[church] courses and she's found them beneficial," but apparently not beneficial enough to make the shift to Scientology.

However, Garlock said that Cruise's religion did not play a part in the breakup.

The pair has been dating for the last three years, since making Vanilla Sky together shortly after Cruise's high-profile split from Nicole Kidman.

Their relationship has often been the stuff of prime tabloid fodder and subjected to intense public scrutiny.

Cruz, a lower-level celebrity than Cruise at the time of their coupling, was abruptly thrust under the requisite A-lister microscope that came with dating the Mission: Impossible star.

Last year, Cruz sued an Australian tabloid for making defamatory statements about her character and the nature of her association with Cruise.

The Top Gun star, in turn, has successfully waged courtroom battles in defense of his hetero status.

The breakup with Cruz is not Cruise's first long-term relationship to end this year. Earlier this month, the actor announced that he had ended his association with Pat Kingsley, his publicist of 14 years.

While Kingsley claimed the split was friendly, the New York Daily News quoted a source who claimed the publicist was uncomfortable with Cruise's recent open discussion of his Scientology beliefs.

Replacement publicist DeVette, who's also a Scientologist, denied rumors that the shift in Cruise control was religion related.

Both Cruise and Cruz have numerous projects lined up to keep their minds off potentially lonely hearts.

Cruise's slate includes the third installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise, the thriller Collateral with Jamie Foxx and the World War II drama Ghost Soldiers with Steven Spielberg.

Cruz will star in the upcoming Head in the Clouds with Best Actress winner Charlize Theron and Sahara opposite Matthew McConaughey.