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Doomed marriage ... Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, pictured in March 2011. Photo: Getty Images

His superstar status gave Scientology invaluable influence in Hollywood, but with a nasty-looking divorce looming, is Tom Cruise now a liability to the controversial Church?

Tom Cruise is 50 years old today. Actors and actresses who trade on their looks rarely enjoy passing this particular milestone, and Cruise has plenty of other reasons to feel miserable.

Hes stuck in rainy Iceland, filming a thriller, while his third wife, Katie Holmes, files for divorce and sole custody of their six-year-old daughter, Suri. At the weekend, his spokesman asked the media to respect the couples privacy. The tabloids thought about this for a split second before splashing with TOM AND KATIE TO DIVORCE - more details pages 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 20, 21.

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Couch jumping ... Cruise's antics on Oprah's couch raised eyebrows.

Why the hysteria? Cruise is one of Hollywood most bankable stars, but hes in the twilight of his career as a leading man. There used to be rumours that hes gay, but no one has ever stood them up. If showbusiness reporters wanted to out A-list stars, which they dont, then there are more obvious candidates.

But heres another headline from yesterday: CULT STALKS KATIE. The cult is Scientology, to which Tom Cruise has belonged since his twenties. The headline comes from the Sun, whose owner, Rupert Murdoch, took to Twitter on Sunday to describe the religion as something creepy, even evil.

Tom Cruise is not only the worlds most famous Scientologist but also one of its most powerful operatives. Some sources claim hes Number Two to David Miscavige, the leader of the organisation and best man at his wedding to Holmes.

Another PR disaster .... Cruise was infamously mocked in an episode of South Park.

The rest is here:
From Cruise control to loose cannon?