The Daily Mail said that Cruise's attorney, Bert Fields, had written a letter to the company, telling it that the "vicious lies" would cause the Jerry Maguire star "hundreds of millions of dollars" in professional damages.

The three-page letter, which The Hollywood Reporter posted on its website yesterday, is dated July 11. Fields writes: "As you were notified in advance, your current issue of National Enquirer makes numerous false and defamatory assertions about our client.

"Your trumpeting [of] vicious lies about Cruise will cause him hundreds of millions of dollars in professional and personal damages, for which we intend to hold American Media, and everyone who participated in the perpetuation of this scurrilous attack, jointly and severally liable."

The front page of the National Enquirer issue has separate pictures of the former glamour couple, with a screaming headline: "Inside Tom's HOUSE OF HORRORS!"

According to the Daily Mail, Cruise and Katie Holmes agreed to a divorce and custody arrangements were made. However, details were undisclosed.

The speculation surrounded Cruise's adherence to Scientology, and the bringing up of their daughter, Suri, under its customs, which Holmes reportedly disagrees with.

The newspaper reported that the A-list actors were back to business yesterday.

Cruise was back on set for his upcoming movie, Oblivion, while Holmes was spotted out for dinner (without Suri for the first time in a while) in New York.

The mother and daughter were together at Central Park Zoo earlier in the day.

The recent divorce has "prompted a renewed interest in Scientology", the Daily Mail reported.

Online searches for Scientology increased by 2.157% immediately after news of the split broke.