Tom Cruise‘s bond with his adopted children with ex-wife Nicole Kidman appears to be as strong as ever, with the three pictured together for the first time in 15 years.
The doting dad, 61, can be seen posing in a group photo with daughter Isabella, 31, and son Connor, 29, late last year – the only public snap of the trio since they were last photographed at a soccer game in Los Angeles in 2009.
Unlike his actress ex, the Mission: Impossible star has maintained a close relationship with their children through their youth and into adulthood following their couple’s divorce in 2001.
But it’s a far cry from the relationship he shares with his biological daughter with second ex-wife Katie Holmes, Suri, who turned 18 on April 18, and is reported to be estranged from her dad for well over a decade.
Tom Cruise is seen posing in a group photo with his adopted daughter Isabella (center) 31, and son Connor, 29, (far right) in their first public snap together in 15 years
The Mission: Impossible star was last publicly photographed with both of his eldest children in 2009 when they attended a soccer game in Los Angeles
Tom Cruise and ex-wife Nicole Kidman adopted Connor and Isabella in the early 1990s after the actress suffered an ectopic pregnancy and a miscarriage
The severed relationship is believed to be largely due to the fact that Suri is not a Scientologist like her older half-siblings and her father.
The unearthed photo was shared on Instagram by NFL legend Derrick Brooks – whose foundation has links to The Church of Scientology – before a hockey game between Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers on December 28.
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker, now 51, captioned the post: ‘Good Evening, Wow, look who stopped by my office before our @tblightninggame tonight! @tomcruise. I was a little star-struck but played it cool and He said he was too!’
The retired athlete’s organization, Derrick Brooks Charities, once used a Scientology program for a mentoring event on human rights for young women that held at the Scientology-affiliated United for Human Rights in Clearwater, Florida, also the base for the church’s global HQ.
And in 2016, the nonprofit celebrated UNICEF’s International Day of the Girl at the church’s religious retreat in Clearwater called Fort Harrison, which was publicized on the Scientology website.
The rare group photo also suggests Cruise’s eldest daughter Isabella has been spending time in Clearwater. She has not been seen at her home in Croydon, England in months.
The actor’s close bond with his adult children is a far cry from the relationship he shares with his biological daughter, Suri, who turned 18 last month, and is reported to be estranged from her dad for well over a decade
It has been suggested that the church of Scientology may be the reason for the distance between Cruise and his younger daughter following his divorce from Katie Holmes in 2012
The Hollywood star (pictured in 2008) has maintained a close relationship with Connor and Isabella – who were raised in the Church of Scientology – through their youth and into adulthood following his divorce from Kidman in 2001
Cruise and Kidman adopted Connor and Isabella in the early 1990s after Nicole suffered an ectopic pregnancy and a miscarriage – and was told as a result she might find it hard to conceive.
The exes agreed to joint custody after their 11-year marriage ended in divorce, but behind closed doors, the kids reportedly remained ‘loyal to their father’ and decided to live with him, and were subsequently raised in the controversial church of Scientology.
Nicole, now 56, hasn’t been pictured publicly with her eldest two children since 2007, and she was reportedly left ‘devastated’ after the pair didn’t attend her father’s funeral in 2014.
Both of her adult children were also notably absent last weekend when she proudly appeared on the red carpet with her husband Keith Urban and their daughters to accept a lifetime achievement award from American Film Institute at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
While Connor, who is believed to be ‘extremely loyal to his dad’, didn’t appear to show Nicole any public support for her achievement, daughter Bella did like one of her mother’s Instagram posts celebrating the award.
Overall, the Kidman Cruise kids live relatively low-key lives – but Connor in particular is seen with his father frequently, supporting him on promotional tours all around the world.
A source previously told PEOPLE magazine he lives a ‘simple’ existence, saying: ‘He lives in his own home in a Scientology community. His life is deep-sea fishing. He has a lot of friends and seems very well-liked.’
Connor seems to be very passionate about deep sea fishing and often posts photos on his Instagram account proudly holding up his catch of the day on boats.
In 2016, Connor told PEOPLE he and his parents went fishing frequently when he was growing up, saying, ‘I was blessed to travel the world as a young kid and now I’m traveling the world working.’
Among Connor’s other hobbies are golf, and he appears to enjoy days out on the course with his friends, according to his Instagram profile.
Bella Kidman Cruise, 31, has been based in London for most of her adult life. She ‘liked’ a post celebrating her mother’s accolade on Instagram
Nicole, now 56, hasn’t been pictured publicly with her eldest two children since 2007
As Nicole Kidman received an American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award this weekend, she appeared on the red carpet with the daughters she shares with Keith Urban, Sunday Rose, 15, and Faith Margaret, 13
Kidman and Urban, 56, have been married since 2006 and share two daughters, Sunday Rose, 15, and Faith Margaret, 13, who made their red carpet debut at last week’s event.
Despite a reported rift between Kidman and her oldest children – something Connor and Bella deny – the actress has previously spoken of her ‘unconditional’ love for them.
According to her website, Isabella hasn’t updated her online art business, Bella Kidman Cruise, since September – and her last photo shared on Instagram was from Clearwater.
Her voting record in the US states that she is living in the same condominium as her father, a luxury building called The Skyview, which is home to high-ranking Scientologists, who are known to donate millions to the church.
Connor is also registered at the same condo and has been living in Clearwater since his father uprooted from Los Angeles in 2016, selling his two LA properties for $51million.
Tom owns five units in The Skyview including the double-floored penthouse – and sold another fifth-floor pad for $525,000 to Mexican Scientologist, Mike Moiseb, in May last year.
Public records show that Tom has spent over $3million revamping his penthouse – on top of the $9.5million he paid for it.
The renovations include $1.75million on handmade interior fittings made by specialists Mortensen Woodwork, $416,650 to Craftsmanship Installations for designer furniture, $51,400 on the cleaners A and A Clean Up Inc, $299,422 for smart windows from Tab Glass Window and Corp and $261,326 on painting with Five Arrows.
