Why Tom Cruise let Katie Holmes win

Despite the couple reaching a settlement at breakneck speed, the battle is only just beginning.

Katie Holmes may have already won the battle to keep her daughter – but she hasn’t won the war against her ex-husband Tom Cruise. As Hollywood prepared for the fiercest courtroom divorce in history to get underway, the couple had secretly been locked in tense, round-the-clock negotiations over Katie’s bid for sole custody of their daughter, Suri. Just 11 days after Katie announced she’d filed for divorce, it was revealed that Tom and Katie had reached a private settlement.

When Katie emerged from her lawyer’s New York office after six hours, she gave a tight smile to waiting onlookers. It was an indication that reports she had won primary custody of the six-year-old were correct. It’s believed Tom will have “generous visitation rights” and pay “massive” child support.

Also, he’ll avoid his career and Scientology being publicly dragged through the mud. In fact, at face value, it appears Catholic Katie has agreed to disagree with Tom over his controversial religion. “We are committed to working together as parents to accomplish what is in our daughter Suri’s best interests,” the couple said in a joint statement. “We… express respect for each other’s commitment to our respective beliefs.”

But according to sources, Katie, 33, is desperate to prevent Suri being exposed to the controversial religion and has stipulated in their agreement that whenever Suri visits Tom, 50, she will be accompanied by Katie- approved minders to ensure her father and his team keep their Scientology beliefs to themselves.