
As the gloves came off in what looks set to become one of Hollywood's most bitterly contested divorces sources close to Holmes, 33, suggested she "couldn't breathe" without her husband's permission.
Cruise, 50, was said to have barred her from being shown kissing film co-stars, and to have encouraged her to travel separately from fellow cast members. Cruise's team rubbished the suggestions and accused her of "playing the media".
When their relationship started in 2005 Holmes had been working on the film "Thank You for Smoking." According to the celebrity website TMZ her husband-to-be imposed a so-called "art kill" which stopped the release of any promotional photographs showing Holmes kissing co-star Aaron Eckhart.
She later filmed the blockbuster "Batman Begins" and he was said to have stopped Holmes flying on a plane with the rest of the cast, putting her on his own jet instead. One star of the film was said to have been "disgusted" by the situation.
However, a source close to Cruise ridiculed the claims saying: "Wow, Tom offered her his private jet. How terrible for Katie.
That theory chimes with an interview Holmes conducted for Elle magazine six weeks ago, which is being published on July 17. The actress wore an unbuttoned top and showed her bra for the cover photograph, in what has been seen as a rebellion against her husband.
She told the magazine: "I feel sexier. I think in my 20s, it's like you're trying too hard to figure everything out."