Cruise Talks of His Love Life -- When He Wants

April 29, 2005 — -- For a star who has frequently begged gossip hounds to keep out of his private life, Tom Cruise was very quick to announce that he's dating a woman 16 years his junior.

Cruise's publicist and sister, Lee Anne DeVette, confirmed Wednesday that he's dating 26-year-old Katie Holmes, the actress best known for her work on TV's "Dawson Creek."

Holmes and Cruise are in Rome this week, where the 42-year-old actor will receive the lifetime achievement award at the Italian equivalent of the Academy Awards, the David di Donatello Awards.

Cruise's life has long been nothing short of a soap opera played out on the pages of Hollywood magazines. His marriages to and subsequent divorces from actresses Mimi Rogers and Nicole Kidman made headlines. The events leading up to his split last year with Penélope Cruz were breathlessly reported.

Through it all, Cruise has pleaded many times for a moment of peace. Among all celebrities, he's probably been the most aggressive suing the press for false reports, especially regarding rumors that he's a closeted homosexual.

Cruise virtually exploded in a January 2002 interview with Vanity Fair, when the magazine pressed him for details on his breakup with Kidman.

"She knows why and she is the mother of my children, and I wish her well," he said. "I don't care if it piques people's interest. Honestly, people should mind their own damn business. And get a life of their own. My personal life isn't here to sell newspapers."

But Cruise has also had moments, especially when he's promoting a new project, when he's more than happy to share his private life with the rest of the world.

In December 2003, while promoting the release of "The Last Samurai," Cruise became the first to confirm speculation that Kidman was dating Lenny Kravitz. "He's a very talented musician," Cruise told CNN's Larry King.

Kidman, who had vowed to keep her love life a secret, was less than pleased with her ex-husband. "I don't want to talk about it, and I wish he didn't, but he does," she told reporters a week later at the premiere of "Cold Mountain."