Hurry—look outside. Do you see any flying pigs? I wouldn’t be surprised if you did. Why? Well, because apparently, Tom Cruise has apologized to Brooke Shields for publicly criticizing her use of anti-depressants after the birth of her first daughter—something that didn’t seem likely to happen until pigs took flight.
You’ll recall that the two had a public “war of words” last year after the “Mission: Impossible III” star, told Matt Lauer during an appearance on NBC’s “Today” show that “depression can be treated with exercise and vitamins rather than drugs.” (That was the same interview, which he warned Lauer not be “glib.”) Much was made of the interview and Cruise took a hit from various psychologists… and women who took meds to combat postpartum depression.
Now word comes (PEOPLE Magazine reports) that Cruise has apologized to Shields.
“He came over to my house, and he gave me a heartfelt apology,” Shields said during a recent appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” “And he apologized for bringing me into the whole thing and for everything that happened,” the actress and now mother of two told Leno and millions of viewers.
“And through it all, I was so impressed with how heartfelt it was. And I didn’t feel at any time that I had to defend myself, nor did I feel that he was trying to convince me of anything other than the fact that he was deeply sorry. And I accepted it.”
Cruise’s spokesman confirmed that the actor did visit Shields’ home to apologize in person. According to PEOPLE Magazine Cruise’s spokesperson said: “It is true that his friendship with Ms. Shields has been mended. He has not changed his position about antidepressants, which as evidenced by the black label warnings issued by the FDA on these types of drugs, are unhealthy.”
Since the meeting Shields, who wrote “Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression,” has dismissed the actor’s remarks as a “ridiculous rant” and “a disservice to mothers everywhere.”
Personally, I wonder what prompted the reconciliation? Was it Cruise’s conscience? Urging by fiancée Katie Holmes who recently gave birth to their baby daughter… or, perhaps, the apology was a carefully timed ploy to repair Cruise’s tarnished image? What do you think?