Tom Cruise and Ana de Armas never confirmed they were dating, yet for 18 months the pair conducted one of Hollywood’s most intense, most secretive romances – a relationship that saw the 63-year-old action star house-hunting in the Cotswolds, mentoring the 37-year-old Cuban actress through her meteoric rise, and ultimately losing her when she refused to sign a billion-year Scientology contract.
Sources who witnessed every stage of the affair – from the first spark on the No Time to Die set in 2019 to the final, devastating phone call from a Clearwater bunker in February 2024 – have now broken their silence. They describe a whirlwind courtship that began with private jets and handwritten notes, escalated into £28 million property deals and A-list power plays, and ended in a single, non-negotiable demand: total commitment to the Church of Scientology or total separation.
The romance ignited at a clandestine EON Productions party in Matera, Italy, in October 2019. Cruise, fresh from Top Gun: Maverick reshoots, arrived by helicopter. De Armas, still riding the high of her Bond-girl breakthrough, was introduced by producer Barbara Broccoli. Within 24 hours Cruise had sent a handwritten invitation on Mission: Impossible stationery, asking her to London to watch dailies of Maverick. She accepted. They screened the film in a private cinema at Pinewood, then dined at Nobu. Over sushi he told her she would eclipse Marilyn Monroe and that he would personally ensure it happened.
Lockdown accelerated everything. In early 2020 Cruise flew de Armas to his Clearwater penthouse – Scientology’s spiritual headquarters – on a Gulfstream registered to a shell company. The last 20 minutes of the flight were conducted blindfolded, standard procedure for prospective Sea Org partners. She spent three days inside the compound, attending introductory courses and reading Dianetics. Insiders say Cruise saw the visit as the first step toward full integration; de Armas viewed it as an exotic weekend getaway.
Cruise’s mentorship began immediately. In March 2020 he personally lobbied the Marilyn Monroe estate to cast de Armas in Blonde, then persuaded Netflix to increase the budget by $22 million. He flew to Prague between Mission: Impossible 8 stunts to run lines for The Gray Man. He introduced her to director Christopher McQuarrie, who wrote a cameo for her in the next Mission instalment – later cut. He pressured Chanel to make her a global ambassador, approving every frame of the 2023 campaign. Studio executives confirm that when Cruise called, doors opened instantly; when he asked for favours for de Armas, they were granted without question.
By summer 2023 the couple were house-hunting in the Cotswolds. The property in question was a 12-bedroom Grade II-listed manor near Chipping Campden, listed at £28 million, complete with 200 acres, a helipad, and a converted barn Cruise planned to turn into a private cinema. They viewed it three times. The first visit was disguised as a location scout. The second, in August, was an overnight stay; locals spotted Cruise jogging at dawn while de Armas practised yoga on the south lawn. The third visit, in October, included a surveyor and a Scientology ethics officer who measured room dimensions for optimal auditing flow. A £2.8 million deposit was wired from a Cayman Islands trust. Contracts were drawn.
Then, in November 2023, de Armas discovered a clause buried in the paperwork: the estate would be held in a trust controlled by the Church of Scientology. She would not own the home; Cruise would, and the church would own Cruise. She withdrew the offer the same day.
The final fracture came in February 2024 at Scientology’s Gold Base in Hemet, California. Cruise had arranged a private bridge-to-total-freedom seminar led by David Miscavige. The weekend included a full personality test, an E-meter session, and a ceremony to sign the billion-year Sea Org contract. De Armas, raised Catholic, had attended introductory courses in Los Angeles but balked at the lifetime pledge. She asked if she could date Cruise without signing. The answer was unequivocal: no. The seminar ended in tears. She retreated to her guest bungalow; Cruise followed, pleading. She requested time to think. He gave her 48 hours.
On February 28, 2024, de Armas flew commercial from LAX to Madrid – no private jet, no security, just a hoodie and sunglasses. Cruise called 17 times. She answered once, from a hotel in Barajas. She told him she could not surrender her autonomy. He told her the church was autonomy. She hung up.
The next day Cruise’s team retrieved her belongings from his Telluride ranch – Chanel gowns, a diamond tennis bracelet engraved A+T, a script for Mission: Impossible 9 with her name on the cover – and shipped everything to her Miami condo. No note accompanied the boxes.
The breakup was never acknowledged publicly. De Armas’ representatives cited scheduling conflicts. Cruise’s camp remained silent. Her Mission cameo was cut. Her Chanel contract expired quietly. A planned Ballerina sequel with Cruise producing was shelved. Cruise threw himself into Mission: Impossible 8, performing a motorcycle cliff jump in Norway without a helmet in a single take.
De Armas relocated to Spain, signed with CAA, hired new representation, and entered talks for a Greta Gerwig-directed Little Women reboot. Friends describe her as relieved. The £28 million Cotswolds manor sold in June 2025 to a Russian buyer. The helipad remains unused. In Cle
