Walking around New York last week, with her long brunette ponytail and dressed-down style, at first glance Suri Cruise could almost be her mother during her ’90s stint on Dawson’s Creek. Indeed, Katie Holmes, 45, and Suri have been told for years that they look alike – with the 17-year-old often referred to as her ‘mini me’. ‘I feel very blessed to have such a special daughter. Being her mom is absolutely the greatest gift and privilege,’ Holmes has said of her bond with Suri – who turned 18 this month (feel old yet?).
While she and Holmes live a fairly low-key life in New York these days, when Suri was born in 2006 to Holmes and her then-husband Tom Cruise, there had rarely ever been such a talked-about celebrity child. Her parents were at the peak of their fame, with their lavish $3.5 million Italian wedding one of the most publicised events of the noughties. (Suri was the youngest guest at the candlelit Lake Bracciano ceremony, at just seven months old.)
Once all the couch-jumping and the honeymoon period had died down, however, Holmes and Cruise’s marriage lasted just six years, with reports citing that Holmes was struggling with the Top Gun actor’s huge commitment to the church of Scientology. It was suggested that the marriage broke down because Holmes did not want Suri being a part of the controversial religion and following in Cruise’s footsteps, who’s been one of the most influential figureheads of Scientology for several decades. The religion is also said to have been the reason for the end in 2001 of Cruise’s marriage to Nicole Kidman, with whom he has two adopted children.
Since Holmes and Cruise split in 2012, much has been made of the fact that he became distant from his daughter. He hasn’t been photographed with her since a visit to Disneyland in 2012, and has reportedly been estranged from her since 2013, though it’s believed Cruise has honoured all his financial commitments for her maintenance.
Suri turned 18 this week, with reports suggesting that she will be applying to fashion school in New York, though neither she nor Holmes has commented on that. It would hardly be surprising if she had a passion for fashion given her mother’s influence in that department. (Holmes could teach a lesson of her own about that Khaite cashmere bra and cardi combo.) But Suri is something of an anomaly when it comes to ‘nepo babies’, aka the offspring of famous parents. She hasn’t got public social media accounts, and has shown no signs of wanting fame for herself – despite how easily the daughter of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise could forge a career as an influencer.
Staying under the radar has been something Suri and her mum have intentionally worked out together along the way, though. Last year, Holmes shared that she’s always been protective of her daughter ‘because she was so visible at a young age’ due to her and Cruise’s fame. ‘Fame has never been a priority for Katie nor Suri, certainly since Katie and Tom split,’ says an insider close to the family. ‘She and Katie had to adapt and fend for themselves very early in Suri’s life under the most intense and challenging of circumstances. Shielding Suri from the hysteria and scrutiny that came with being Tom Cruise’s daughter was her number-one priority from the get-go – especially after the divorce and all that very real drama and excess scrutiny after Katie’s decision to run far away from Scientology – it was no mean feat.’
The source added that being estranged from her father has been ‘incredibly challenging’ for Suri over the years, but that Holmes’s own close-knit family, including parents Martin and Kathleen, have helped with a huge amount of support. Going from one of the first infants to grace the cover of US tabloid magazines in the noughties to one of the quietest of all the A-list nepo babies is quite the turnaround. But on the eve of her 18th birthday, it’s clear that the world is Suri’s oyster – and whether she chooses fame or not, her mum will carry on being as protective as ever.
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