Tom Cruise & Nicole Kidman Were Hollywood's Golden Couple ...

1981: Melissa Gilbert

First up in Tom Cruise’s dating history is Little House On The Prairie star, Melissa Gilbert. 

The pair reportedly dated while Tom was an aspiring actor, and still going by his birth name, Tom Cruise Mapother IV.

Years later, in an appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Melissa said, “Actually, when I dated him he was Tom Mapother still,” adding that she was "16 maybe or 17" when they met.

Melissa also got into the nitty gritty of their relationship, revealing to host Andy Cohen that their pair never slept together.

“We made out, but honestly, there was no sex," she said.

1983: Rebecca De Mornay

Tom next dated his Risky Business co-star, Rebecca De Mornay, although their romance reportedly didn’t start until after filming wrapped.

In a 1986 Rolling Stone profile, Sean Penn recalled a night out with Tom in New York shortly after the hit film was released.

“All these girls were coming over. And this really pretty girl came up to Tommy and started talking to him. And he realised that she wanted him for his body. And he screamed at her, ‘I have a girlfriend that I’m in love with!’ And the girl said, ‘You should have told me that five minutes ago!’”

The pair were both 21 when they dated, with Rebecca saying at the time:

“He really is a pure person. There’s something earnest and virtuous about him that’s quite rare. There’s definitely something different about kids who come from broken homes. They have this sort of searching quality, because you’re searching for love and affection, if you’ve been robbed of a substantial amount of time with your parents. I think that’s true of Tom.”

The pair separated when Tom began working on Top Gun. In the same interview, he said:

“Relationships are hard. You have to know when you’re going to be in a different place from someone else, you have to have the strength to separate. People are more prone to stay together for the security, which is something in my life that I have really not done, in relationships or even in business. If something’s not working, you’ve got to face it and move on.”

1985: Patti Scialfa

According to a profile published by People, Tom briefly dated singer-songwriter Patti Scialfa in 1985. Not much else is known about their romance, other than it was short-lived.

1985: Cher

Perhaps the most surprising union of all, Tom was also linked to popstar Cher in 1985. The pair reportedly met at Madonna’s wedding to Sean Penn, and then found themselves together again at a dinner held at the White House.

Years later, in an appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Cher shared that Tom “wasn’t a Scientologist” when they dated, adding, “It was pretty hot and heavy for a little minute.”

“I’ve had just the greatest lovers ever!... [Tom] was in the top five,” she revealed. 

1986 - 1990: Mimi Rogers

In a 1986 Rolling Stone interview, Tom said he met his first wife, Mimi Rogers, "at a dinner party [...] when I was developing Top Gun."

“She was dating a friend, and, uh, I thought she was extremely bright.”

The pair were married in 1987. In another Rolling Stone interview, Tom said of his then-wife,  “I wouldn’t have been able to make it through Born, I don’t think, without her being there. “There were times I was so physically exhausted, and the stuff was very emotional.”

“I couldn’t imagine being without her or being alone,” he added.

In the same interview, he revealed that Mimi was the first person he had ever been in love with.

“There were girls you like a lot. But I’d never been in love before. Since I’ve been with her, it’s opened me up a lot. I think it’s helped me be a better actor. We live a lot of life together. We share everything. That’s the best thing about life. Otherwise you go through it pretty sad and lonely and angry.”

It’s not clear exactly why the pair split, but Mimi later told People she found Tom’s fame hard to handle. 

“You cease to be an individual,” she said. “No matter what the article is, it’s ‘Tom Cruise‘s wife….’ ”

1990 - 2001: Nicole Kidman

One of his most high-profile relationships, Tom was with Australian actress Nicole Kidman from 1990 to 2001, who he met on the set of Days Of Thunder.

According to Us Weekly, the pair were married less than one year after his divorce to Mimi Rogers was finalised, in a private ceremony held on Christmas Eve. 

After they were married, the couple worked together again, this time on Far And Away. In 1992, the same year the film was released, they adopted their first child, Isabella. Then, in 1995, they adopted a son, Connor.

In 1999, Tom and Nicole appeared in a third and final film together, Eyes Wide Shut. 

“We were happily married through that,” Nicole told The New York Times in 2020.

“We would go go-kart racing after [intense] scenes. We’d rent out a place and go racing at three in the morning.”

In February 2001, the pair announced their separation, via a statement that read:

“Citing the difficulties inherent in divergent careers which constantly keep them apart, they concluded that an amicable separation seemed best for both of them at this time.”

2001 - 2004: Penelope Cruz

From 2001 to 2004, Tom was linked to actress Penelope Cruz, after the pair met on the set of Vanilla Sky. 

The pair kept their relationship relatively low key, with Tom telling marie claire US in 2003 that he liked to surprise his partner often.

“She’ll come home, and I’ll have her favourite kind of food made, have a bath drawn. I like doing stuff like that. She likes my food, so I cook for her. It’s always the little things I like in a relationship.”

After three years together, the couple called it quits, with a source telling People:

“They remain good friends and still talk often… There is no other person involved. The relationship just ran its course and they decided not to be girlfriend and boyfriend anymore. Through most of the relationship they were both shooting movies in separate parts of the world.”

2005 - 2012: Katie Holmes

Tom’s third marriage was to actress Katie Holmes.

The pair first sparked rumours of a romance after they were spotted holidaying together in 2005. The following year, their relationship accelerated, with the couple announcing their engagement and welcoming their daughter, Suri, shortly after.

In the early stages of their relationship, Tom gushed about their newfound love. In 2005, he gave the infamous couch-jumping interview, where he told Oprah, “I’m in love. I’m in love and it’s one of those things where you want to be cool, like, ‘Yeah I like her.’”

“That’s not how I feel. I wanted to meet this person and I met her and she’s extraordinary.”

After five years of marriage, Tom and Katie announced their separation via separate statements.

"This is a personal and private matter for Katie and her family. Katie's primary concern remains, as it always has been, her daughter's best interest," her attorney said.

Tom’s statement, on the other hand, read: "Kate has filed for divorce and Tom is deeply saddened and is concentrating on his three children. Please allow them their privacy."