TOM CRUISE’s appearance turned heads at the Jameson Empire Awards in London on March 30 – for all the WRONG reasons!
“He looked bizarre, like he was wearing a fat mask on his face,” said an eyewitness.
Just four months after the “Mission: Impossible” hunk’s finely chiseled features were photographed at Ben Stiller’s Walk of Fame ceremony in Hollywood, Tom’s puffy face shocked fans at the London event.
A friend told The ENQUIRER that Tom, 51, is still miserable since his divorce from Katie Holmes in 2012 – and he’s been “pigging out” to cope with the pain of the split.
“Tom Cruise might still be a ‘Top Gun’ at the box office, but since Katie dumped him, I hear he remains deeply devastated and heartbroken,” said Andrew Morton, who penned the best-selling book “Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography.”
“Tom was madly in love with her and she gave him an adorable daughter. Two years since the split, he’s still tormented and in agony because he realizes what he lost in Katie.
“While he remains a great dad to Suri and works hard at memorable father-daughter trips, he knows he can never duplicate the experiences the three of them shared together as a family.
“He sees Katie moving on with her life and that hurts even more. But the fact is, he has not gone on a serious date since his breakup with Katie and has shown no interest in moving on with that part of his life.”
As The ENQUIRER previously reported, Cruise was said to be shattered when his good pal and “Collateral” co-star Jamie Foxx started romancing Katie behind his back. And in our last issue, we reported that friends of the three-times-divorced actor have been trying to hook him up with fellow Scientologist and “Mad Men” beauty Elisabeth Moss. But “Tom seems to have no interest in dating her or anyone else,” said the friend. “He’s smiling on the outside, but in private, he’s pigging out and eating away his sorrows.
“He’s gained 20 pounds, and it shows in his face.”
The ENQUIRER showed the recent photos of Tom to top New York City plastic surgeon Matthew Schulman and asked if his puffy face could have been caused by something other than overeating.
“It could be the result of some cosmetic procedures where he had fat or fillers to make his face look fuller,” said Dr. Schulman, who has not treated Tom. “But a more likely possibility is that he put on weight, or it’s a medical condition.
“He might be taking an anti-inflammatory or steroids – that could cause him to get that bloated look.”
Dr. Gabe Mirkin, an expert in sports medicine familiar with the effects of steroid use who has not treated Tom, also examined the photographs and said Tom has “the classic puffy cheeks and jaw that comes from edema, or fluid retention, from steroid use.”
Added the friend: “Whatever the reason, it’s pretty clear Tom is depressed over Katie. He needs to either pursue Katie again or move on before he ruins his looks.”