The Church of Scientology denied sending anyone to follow Katie Holmes after she filed for divorce from Tom Cruise, amid reports she feared her husband’s plans for their daughter.
Ms Holmes believes church views her as a threat to the organisation
A lawyer for the church also dismissed reports that Mr Cruise − a prominent Scientologist − wanted their six-year-old daughter Suri to join the Sea Organisation, described as a boot camp for the controversial religion.
“There is no truth whatsoever to the TMZ.com report (or any other report) that the Church of Scientology has sent anyone to follow or surveil Katie Holmes,” lawyer Gary Soter said in an e-mailed letter.
“The allegation about a six-year-old joining the Sea Org is similarly untrue,” added Dr Soter, who described himself as counsel for the Church of Scientology International.
Celebrity news website TMZ reported that Ms Holmes, who announced on Friday that she was filing for divorce, feared her husband wanted their daughter to join the Sea Org in the near future.
But it cited the Scientologist’s lawyer as saying nobody under the age of 16 can join the elite body, adding that minors must have the “consent of both parents and/or all legal guardians” to become members.
TMZ also cited sources close to Ms Holmes as saying she believes the Church of Scientology views her as a threat to the organisation and has put a team on her trail, with “mysterious” men and vehicles tailing her in recent weeks.
The attorney’s statement came after 33-year-old Ms Holmes was spotted in New York on Monday without her wedding ring.
Mr Cruise, who turned 50 yesterday, wed Ms Holmes in a storybook Italian castle in November 2006 after declaring his love for the former Dawson’s Creek star live on Oprah − famously jumping up and down on a couch in the studio.
It was Ms Holmes’ first marriage and Mr Cruise’s third.
Ms Holmes announcement that she was filing for divorce reportedly took Mr Cruise by surprise. A spokesman said on Friday that he was “deeply saddened” by the move to end their five-year marriage.
While Mimi Rogers, Nicole Kidman and Katie Holmes do not seem to have much in common except for their marriage and divorce from Tom Cruise, they also share the number 33. All three women divorced the actor at the ripe age of 33.
Mr Cruise is among the many celebrity members of the Church of Scientology.
American Scientology leader David Miscavige was said to have officiated at the event, arguably the most high-profile Scientology wedding to date, in a ceremony that lasted no more than 15 minutes.
Tabloids have speculated for some time that the relationship was on the rocks after the pair was not seen together for months. Mr Cruise has also won two lawsuits against publications alleging he is gay.
Reports at the time of Ms Holmes’ marriage to Mr Cruise said that under the prenuptial agreement, Ms Holmes − who converted to Scientology − would receive $3 million (€2.4 million) for every year of the marriage plus ownership of a California mansion if they split.
Ms Holmes has admitted to having a teenage crush on Mr Cruise, even saying she had put up a poster of the Top Gun star in her bedroom.
In an interview with Playboy magazine in May, Mr Cruise said he would be spending his birthday shooting a film in Iceland − without his significant other.