Cruise meets M:I fans

Hollywood star Tom Cruise thrilled fans with a marathon effort on the red carpet for the premiere of his film Mission Impossible III tonight

The 43-year-old showed he had lost none of his energy after becoming a father to a baby girl last week by spending hours chatting to fans.

Cruise had spent around two-and-a-half hours on the red carpet when he had to go inside the cinema to help introduce his blockbuster to the waiting audience.

But after completing that task Cruise went back out for more.

The screen icon, who had torn himself away from fiancee Katie Holmes, 27, and his baby girl, Suri, to make tonight’s event told the waiting media he had spoken to his actress other-half “about a billion times”.

Asked if he missed his little girl, whose name the couple said has its origins in the Hebrew word for princess, Cruise replied: “How can you not? She’s beautiful.”

The star delighted a woman in the crowd outside who was celebrating her 80th birthday by giving her a kiss on the cheek.

When a little girl was pushed in front of the barriers to meet the star and security tried to intervene, Cruise chatted to the youngster.

Another woman tried to get the new father to hold her baby.

British Shaun of the Dead star Simon Pegg, who also stars in the film, said: “It’s been hard to take it all in. it’s happened so quickly.”

American actress Michelle Monaghan, who plays Julia in the action movie, said of the London premiere: “It’s absolutely incredible. I’m having an incredible time.

“These people have been out here all day.

“I haven’t even spoken to Tom yet. He’s still out there.”

Referring to Cruise’s change of mind over flying to London after initially saying he wanted to jet back home to see his fiancée following the Rome premiere, she said: “It wouldn’t be the same without him.

“This is his baby, but he’s got two of them now.”

The rain poured down at one point during the evening but it did not dampen Cruise’s spirits.