Katie Holmes knows all too well how hard it is to extract yourself from a Scientology marriage. After all, this is the woman who had legal and Hollywood circles shaking their heads in wonder when she escaped her unhappy union with the church’s second -in-command Tom Cruise.

Not only did she manage to leave him in her dust, but she also pulled off what few other Scientology mums have been able to do – keeping custody of her daughter and pulling in a healthy child-support sum, rumoured to be $400,000 per year. Now it’s been reported Katie is planning to go back to uni to study law, in the hope of helping other mums escape the cult without having to leave their kids behind.

“She expressed a keen interest in law while splitting from Tom,” a source tells The National Enquirer. “Now the divorce has been finalised, she has the time, money and opportunity to go to school.” Katie’s career change is no doubt inspired by her lawyer dad, Martin, who orchestrated her divorce. Tory Christman, who was a Scientologist for 30 years before leaving – and being disowned by her husband – hopes Katie becomes a lawyer for women like herself.

“When you have children or parents who are still ‘in’ and who threaten to cut off all contact if you leave, it’s incredibly hard,” she tells UK Grazia magazine. “The worry of every mother who finds themselves in Katie’s position is that they will lose their kids. There aren’t enough legal resources to support [them]. I talk to people every day who are in this position. They’re desperate for the kind of legal support Katie had access to.” It’s a story all too familiar to Katie. She’s well aware that when Tom divorced Nicole Kidman in 2001, he got to keep their children Bella and Connor, who are still Scientologists.

Read more about Katie's crusade in this week's Woman’s Day on sale Monday February 18, 2013.