Did Tom Cruise and Hayley Atwell ever date? The relationship rumors, explained

Tom Cruise and Hayley Atwell have been at the center of dating rumors for a few years now, with public opinion frequently shifting between a solid “no way” and the unsure “wouldn’t put it past them.”

The two Hollywood actors have proven to be close several times in the past, but does that always indicate that sparks are flying? Some seem to believe so, and as Atwell and Cruise come back into the limelight to promote an upcoming film, speculation is once again on the rise.

How did the Tom Cruise/Hayley Atwell dating rumors start?

This story began back in 2020, when The Sun reported that Cruise and Atwell started secretly dating after growing close while filming Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. At the time, a source claimed that “they’ve been meeting up after hours, and she’s been to his London pad. They get on brilliantly, and both seem very happy.”

None of this was ever confirmed but a few months ago, the rumors made a comeback as the two stars kicked off promotions for the seventh installment of Mission: Impossible. Atwell has been publicly dating music producer Ned Kelly since 2022, and the two are now engaged but not even that seems enough to quiet down speculation about the nature of her relationship with the Top Gun actor. Cruise, on the other hand, has not announced a new romantic partner ever since his divorce from Katie Holmes, the mother of one of his children, in 2012.

Tired of seeing the same rumors circulate time and again, the Marvel actress decided to finally speak out on the subject.

Did Hayley Atwell and Tom Cruise date?

In a recent interview with The Independent, Atwell revealed that she sees Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie — director of the recent Mission: Impossible films — as “sort of two uncles.” Nothing puts dating rumors to rest quite like claiming to have a familiar bond with someone.

The actress also spoke about how the speculation affected her over the years, labeling it something “upsetting” and “invasive,” among other negative things:

“I would be like, ‘Ooh, there’s some weird rumours, and it feels base, it feels a little dirty, it feels grubby, it’s not what I’m about.’ Why are things being assumed or projected onto me about my relationship with my work colleague and boss?”

Fortunately, Cruise has always been in Atwell’s corner, doing his best to reassure her when being the talk of the world became too much:

“When I’ve talked to him about it, he’d be like ‘You know exactly who you are. You know what you’re about. And that is the only thing that matters. It doesn’t matter what people think of you, if you are in integrity with yourself, if you know what your value system is.’”

After this, it seems crystal clear that there was never anything going on between the two co-stars. Hopefully, the rumors will now be laid to rest for good.

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