Tom Cruise has warned his emotionally fragile wife Katie Holmes he'll take their daughter Suri if the troubled actress can't withstand the demands of their celebrity lifestyle.
Struggling under the intense pressure of being Mrs Tom Cruise, an increasingly gaunt and confused Katie has recently been plagued by blinding headaches and frightening fainting spells.
With her emotional torment threatening to overwhelm her, Tom has laid down the law — telling his wife to shape up or risk being sidelined as a mum.
"Tom has been patient with Katie, supportive of her feelings and how she needed to get used to her new life. But he feels enough is enough," says a source.
Katie's attempts to revive her career — and her independence — by taking a part in the Broadway show All My Sons already appear to be coming unstuck, with Tom warning that the six-nights-a-week commitment will mean less time with Suri.
"If Katie takes on a huge commitment like that it means that they would be leading separate lives for an extended period," says a source.
"He is taking control back from Katie the only way he knows how — by telling her that if she doesn't pull herself together, their marriage is doomed. He has even gone as far as to warn Katie: 'I'm taking Suri with me if our marriage falls apart'."
Frail and confused
Katie's role in little Suri's life has come under increasing scrutiny in recent months, with mother and daughter not seen in public together since mid-January. While Katie is reported to be struggling with her child's behaviour, a relaxed Tom was last week seen taking his daughter — who turns two next week — to an LA park, with Katie nowhere in sight.
"With Katie's frail state, Suri is just too much to handle," a source told US magazine Star.
Katie's fragility has become increasingly apparent of late. When the actress lunched at one of her favourite restaurants, Joan's On Third, on March 17 it was obvious that something was terribly wrong. She seemed exhausted, her skin was pale, and she looked feeble and emaciated.
Around the time of her episode at Joan's, she fainted as she got out of her car at the Scientology Celebrity Center, says a source. To make matters worse, "She has done the Fat Flush — which involves drinking a lot of pure cranberry juice — several times," the source told Star. "She's obsessed with being thin no matter the cost. When she goes out to eat, you see her only picking at her food."
Small triumph
Compounding the pressure is the fact that Tom, 45, regularly goes off on his own for days at a time, leaving Katie, 29, and Suri in the hands of Scientology minders, says a source. Katie even revealed in a recent interview that Tom "works for 48 hours straight [and then] comes home".
An already-fragile Katie is only adding to her frustration by looking for small ways to fight A-list excesses. She's said to have refused Tom's idea of a $550,000 party for Suri's 2nd birthday on April 18 — complete with a Cirque du Soleil performance — in favour of a smaller affair.
Despite all the advantages of marriage to a multimillionaire like Tom, Katie has found they can't buy true happiness — especially as she contemplates a shrinking role in Suri's life.
For the full story, see this week's
Woman's Day (on sale April 7).
Search: Read more about
Katie Holmes.
Your say:Do you think Tom has gone too far?
