Tom Cruise ‘wanted to woo’ David Beckham to Scientology, book claims

TOM Cruise allegedly built a soccer pitch to “woo” David Beckham for the Church of Scientology.

The Mission: Impossible actor was reportedly keen to introduce famous faces to the faith, with the sportsman and his fashion designer wife Victoria Beckham at the top of his list.

So it was agreed to have a “professional-grade” pitch constructed at the Gold Base headquarters in California in order for the Hollywood star to have a reason to bring the former England player to visit the site with him.

Mike Rinder – a former high-ranking officer in the church – wrote in his new book A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology: (Tom) was doing his best to court celebrities other than those with whom he was working on films.

“Perhaps the most famous were David and Victoria Beckham. A professional-grade soccer pitch was constructed on the property at Gold.

“The ground was levelled, irrigation installed, perfect turf, goals raised. A full-time caretaker was appointed from the Gold staff … It was built for one purpose only: so Tom Cruise could woo his friend David to come to Gold. It never happened.”

The writer also claimed the church helped the Top Gun star with his love life, with a lot of funding going towards renovating a building in Spain while Cruise was dating Penélope Cruz – only for them to break up before it opened.

He wrote: “Tom had been dating Spanish actress Penélope Cruz, which was a contributing factor as to why so much money was spent to buy and renovate the beautiful building there.

“So it’s a bit ironic that by the time it was completed Penélope had broken up with him.”

A spokesperson for the church Scientology slammed the author, branding him an “inveterate liar” who has been "harassing” the organisation. The representative told the New York Post Page Six column: “Mike Rinder is an inveterate liar who seeks to profit from his dishonesty. He supports himself by orchestrating the harassment of his former Church and its leader through false police reports.” |