Tom Cruise and Hayley Atwell have broken up once again – just weeks after it was suggested their romance had been rekindled.
The on-off relationship is said to be off for good this time, however, as the Hollywood stars have come to realise they are better off as friends rather than lovers.
Reports first emerged that 59-year-old Tom and 40-year-old Hayley had struck up a romance back in 2020 after they worked together on the set of Mission Impossible 7.
But the romance was over by the summer of last year – only for speculation to be sparked last month that they had got back together after Hayley appeared alongside Tom at the premiere of Top Gun: Maverick in London.
A source told The Sun on Sunday: “Tom and Hayley’s relationship was genuine.
"In spite of some rumours to the contrary, it was never just for the cameras. Unfortunately it hasn’t worked out for them.
"They get on really well, and have fantastic chemistry, which is why they decided to quietly give the relationship another try earlier this year.”
The source went on to suggest the fact that their rekindled romance had been made public spooked the couple and caused them to break up again, adding: “They have now decided they are better as friends.”
Eyebrows had been raised in the middle of May when Hayley joined Tom at a royal premiere for the Top Gun sequel in London.
A source suggested at the time: “Hayley’s last-minute decision to attend the star-studded event in London’s Leicester Square shows how close she and Tom have become again after separating last year."
They added: “She’s purely there to support him. It’s a big step for them.”
While both Tom and Hayley have remained tight lipped about their reported romance, a source claimed last September that work commitments has caused their first split.
The friend claimed at the time: “It has been a very intense period of filming together. They really got on well – and they’re obviously both very good-looking Hollywood stars so it made for a good match.
“But as the latest film winds down they’ve decided to go back to being friends.
“Their filming schedules are very full-on, and Tom has a number of other commitments coming up and is always shooting around by private helicopter and jet so it just ran its course.
“But they’re still happy to work together. It’s a shame, but just one of those things. They still get on well.”
They had been working on Mission Impossible seven together – which is expected to finally release in July next year; five years after the previous film in the spy series was released.
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