Cruise and Holmes reach divorce settlement

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have reached a settlement in their divorce, her lawyer said.

“The case has been settled and the agreement has been signed,” Jonathan Wolfe said in a statement yesterday evening. Mr Wolfe’s office would not elaborate on the agreement.

“We are thrilled for Katie and her family and are excited to watch as she embarks on the next chapter of her life,” the statement said.

“We thank Tom’s counsel for their professionalism and diligence that helped bring about this speedy resolution.”

Holmes filed for divorce less than two weeks ago, putting an end to the romance that began in 2005. The couple have a six-year-old daughter, Suri.

Earlier today, the couple asked for privacy.

“We are committed to working together as parents to accomplish what is in our daughter Suri’s best interests. We want to keep matters affecting our family private and express our respect for each other’s commitment to each of our respective beliefs and support each other’s roles as parents,” read the statement from Holmes and Cruise’s representatives, Nanci Ryder and Amanda Lundberg.

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The Hollywood split has played out in the celebrity news media, where she has been portrayed with overwhelming sympathy over a narrative of a locked-away Holmes breaking free from the servitude of a strange, corrupting marriage.

US Weekly has reported that the couple “fought viciously” over Scientology parenting. The Daily News has trumpeted Holmes entering “a new phase”. A TMZ headline blared “Tom treated me like a robot.”

That may also be the most convenient view of a relationship that even at its start spawned “Free Katie!” T-shirts.

Cruise’s camp vigorously denied such a reading. Cruise’s lawyer Bert Fields has said they were letting “the other side play the media until they wear everyone out”. The Church of Scientology also did not want to be portrayed as the cause of the schism between the couple.

In the week and a half since filing for divorce, Holmes also captured the spotlight with a handful of public appearances. She stopped by to tape a guest judge appearance on 'Project Runway', was snapped taking Suri for ice cream, and was seen taking a trip to the Children’s Museum of the Arts.

The appearances have fed the view that Holmes is living easier and freer – and conversely, that she is orchestrating a public relations campaign.