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Tom Cruise opted for quickie divorce 'to save Scientology'
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Tom Cruise settled his divorce with Katie Holmes quickly in order "to save The Church of Scientology," cult experts have claimed.
"(Church leader) David Miscavige dictated Tom's divorce deal. Scientology wanted a gag order as soon as possible to stop further negative information coming out," Steven Hassan, an exit counselor who works with those leaving cults, told the New York Post.
"They would have agreed to allow Katie to raise Suri as a Catholic, as long as she doesn't say anything bad about Scientology to Suri or the public," he said.
But Hassan, whose new book Freedom of Mind helps those escape the grip of cults, said Holmes may regret signing the gag order.
"In the future that may not be the best decision for Katie, Tom and Suri. What would be best would be to get the truth out there help Tom escape Scientology," he said.
Marty Rathbun, Tom Cruise's former auditor with the Church of Scientology, claimed that the Mission Impossible star effectively chose his religion over his 6-year-old daughter, Suri, in his divorce negotiations with Holmes.
Rathbun was a former high ranking Scientologist who worked with Cruise for several years, conducting "auditing" sessions with the star, before he left the religion. He has since become an outspoken critic of Scientology.
"I think that Tom Cruise chose his religion over his daughter Suri, and I also think that David Miscavige pressured Cruise to settle the divorce quickly," he told Radar Online.
Miscavige is Cruise's best friend and was the actor's best man when he married Holmes in Italy in 2005. The newlyweds honeymooned on Miscavige's yacht.
The church has been at the center of attention in the Holmes-Cruise divorce drama. Rathbun said that the next move for Cruise and Scientology would be, "To act the victim for having Tom's personal life and religious beliefs dug into when the press starts inquiring about who won control over education and religion with respect to Suri."
"They are paying to get Scientology Inc. out of the news.
"He should have learned that his association with David Miscavige is ruining his life. What he actually learned is anybody's guess," he added.
Sofia Vergara engaged to businessman boyfriend
Modern Family star Sofia Vergara is engaged to her on-and-off businessman boyfriend Nick Loeb.
Loeb proposed the actress, who plays Gloria Pritchett in the hit TV show, during a vacation to celebrate her 40th birthday in Mexico, reported Ace Showbiz.
"He 'popped the question' while at the Mayan archaeological ruins of Chichen Itza with the entire birthday entourage," a source said.
"She was bouncing around and showing everyone the ring," another source added.
One of Vergara's close friends Fernando Fiore tweeted a picture from the birthday celebration that featured her
rocking a supposed engagement ring.
Vergara met Loeb at a Golden Globes party in 2010 and has dated him on and off ever since. She was previously married to Joe Gonzalez from 1991 to 1993 and has a son, Manolo, with him.
Peter O'Toole retires from acting
Lawrence of Arabia star Peter O'Toole is biding "a dry-eyed and profoundly grateful farewell" to acting.
O'Toole, who turns 80 next month, announced his retirement in a letter to his fans, saying his heart was no longer in acting, the People magazine reported.
"It's time for me to chuck in the sponge. To retire from stage and screen. The heart for it has gone out of me; it won't come back," O'Toole said in a statement. "...It's my belief that one should decide for oneself when it is time to end one's stay. So I bid the profession a dry-eyed and profoundly grateful farewell," he said.
The handsome actor was plucked from stage to play the lead in director David Lean's 1962 Academy-award-winning epic
Lawrence of Arabia at the age of 27.
Oscar will continue to elude the actor despite best actor nominations for 1964's Becket, 1968's The Lion in Winter,
1969's Goodbye, Mr Chips, 1972's The Ruling Class, 1980's The Stunt Man, 1982's My Favorite Year and 2006's Venus.
He was given an honorary Oscar in 2003. O'Toole said he was grateful for his "professional acting life, stage and screen,"
As it brought him "public support, emotional fulfillment and material comfort. It has brought me together with fine people, good companions with whom I've shared the inevitable lot of all actors: flops and hits."
The blue-eyed legend is focusing on the third volume of his memoirs.
Adele to give birth in September
Singer Adele is reportedly seven months pregnant with her first child and is due to give birth in September.
The 24-year-old, who is expecting her baby with boyfriend Simon Konecki, has been hiding her bump from the public by
keeping a low profile and wearing baggy clothes, reported Contactmusic.
"Adele has barely left the house in recent months, so she could keep this to herself for as long as possible. She stopped exercising a few months ago, and since then it's been all about the baby," a source said.
36-year-old Konecki, who has a five-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, has been dating Adele for a year now
and since then they have been keen to have children.
It has also been rumored the couple could have married in secret, after Konecki was seen wearing what looked like a
wedding ring when he attended the Ivor Novello awards with Adele earlier this year.