Tom Cruise’s bond with his adopted children and ex-wife Nicole Kidman appears to be as strong as ever as the three are photographed together for the first time in 15 years.
The doting dad, 61, is seen in a group photo with daughter Isabella, 31, and son Connor, 29, late last year – the only public photo of the trio since they were last photographed at a football match in Los Angeles in 2009 .
Unlike his actress ex, the Mission: Impossible star has maintained a close relationship with their children throughout their childhood and 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 was reportedly estranged from her father for more than a decade.
Tom Cruise poses in a group photo with his adopted daughter Isabella (center), 31, and son Connor, 29, (far right) in their first public photo together in 15 years
The Mission: Impossible star was last photographed publicly with both of his eldest children in 2009 when they attended a football 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 miscarriage
It is believed that the broken relationship is 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 ties to the Church of Scientology – before a Dec. 28 hockey game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers.
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker, now 51, captioned the post: “Good evening, wow, look who came by my office tonight for our @tblightninggame! @Tom Cruise. I was a little impressed, but played it cool and He said he was too!’
The organization of the retired athlete, Derrick Brooks Charitiesonce used a Scientology program for a human rights mentoring event for young women held at the Scientology-affiliated United for Human Rights in Clearwater, Florida, also the base for the church’s global headquarters.
And in 2016, the nonprofit celebrated UNICEF’s International Day of the Girl at Fort Harrison, the church’s religious retreat in Clearwater. published on the Scientology website.
The rare group photo also suggests that Cruise’s eldest daughter Isabella has spent time in Clearwater. She has not been seen at her home in Croydon, England, for 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 has reportedly been estranged from her father for more than a decade.
It has been suggested that the Church of Scientology may be the reason for Cruise’s distance from his youngest 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 – throughout their childhood and 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 miscarriage — and as a result was told it might be difficult to conceive.
The exes agreed to joint custody after their 11-year marriage ended in divorce, but behind closed doors the children reportedly remained “loyal to their father” and decided to live with him, subsequently growing up in the controversial Church of Scientology.
Nicole, now 56, has not been publicly pictured with her eldest two children since 2007, and was reportedly ‘devastated’ after the couple failed to attend her father’s funeral in 2014.
Both of her adult children were also conspicuously absent last weekend as she proudly appeared on the red carpet with her husband Keith Urban and their daughters to accept a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.
Although Connor, who is believed to be ‘extremely loyal to his father’, Nicole did not appear to show any public support for her achievement, daughter Bella liked one of her mother’s Instagram posts celebrating the award.
Overall, the Kidman Cruise children lead relatively quiet lives, but Connor in particular is often seen with his father, supporting him on promotional tours around the world.
A source previously told PEOPLE magazine that he lives a “simple” existence: “He lives in his own house in a Scientology community. His life consists of 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 of himself proudly holding up his catch of the day on boats.
In 2016, Connor told PEOPLE that he and his parents often went fishing growing up, saying, “I was blessed to travel the world as a young child and now I travel the world to work.”
One of Connor’s other hobbies is golf, and according to his Instagram profile, he seems to enjoy days out at the course with his friends.
Bella Kidman Cruise, 31, has lived in London for most of her adult life. She “liked” a post celebrating her mother’s award on Instagram
Nicole, now 56, has not been publicly photographed with her eldest two children since 2007
When Nicole Kidman received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute 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 the event last week.
Despite a reported rift between Kidman and her eldest children – something Connor and Bella deny – the actress has previously spoken about her ‘unconditional’ love for them.
According to her website, Isabella hasn’t updated her online art company, Bella Kidman Cruise, since September — and her last photo shared on Instagram was of Clearwater.
Her voting record in the US shows that she lives 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 in the same apartment and has lived in Clearwater since his father moved out of Los Angeles in 2016 and sold his two LA properties for $51 million.
Tom owns five units at The Skyview, including the double-storey penthouse – and sold another fifth-floor apartment for $525,000 to Mexican Scientologist Mike Moiseb in May last year.
Public records show that Tom spent more than $3 million updating his penthouse, on top of the $9.5 million he paid for it.
The renovation work includes $1.75 million in handcrafted interior furnishings made by specialists Mortensen Woodwork, $416,650 in Craftsmanship Installations for designer furniture, $51,400 in cleaners A and A Clean Up Inc, $299,422 in smart windows from Tab Glass Window and Corp and $ 261,326 of painting with Five Arrows.