Katie Holmes Reflects on ‘Intense’ Time With Daughter Suri Following Tom Cruise Breakup

Katie Holmes is getting candid with fans on what her life has been like raising daughter Suri Cruise — whom she shares with ex-husband, Tom Cruise — in the public eye, and as a single mother for most of the time. In an interview with InStyle, Holmes reflects on the days of when Suri, who’s now 14 years old, was young and thrust into the public eye because of who her parents are, and admits it wasn’t easy trying to keep their privacy.

“That time was intense. It was a lot of attention, and I had a little child on top of it,” she recalls following her split from Cruise and when she moved to New York City. “[Suri and I] had some funny moments out and about in public.”

Since her divorce was so public, she says it was hard to have privacy on that and being a parent to a young child with cameras everywhere. However, she does remember one time that a stranger she didn’t even know, made a kind gesture towards the actress and her daughter and that it became a moment she would never forget, even saying it made her cry.

“Suri was 6 or 7, and she was spending the night at a friend’s house while I was seeing the ballet at Lincoln Center. At 10 o’clock I got a call: Mommy, can you come get me?’ I got a cab and went down to Battery Park to pick her up,” she said. “She was exhausted. She fell asleep on the way home, and when we pulled up to our building, the cab driver opened the door and helped me not wake her. He helped carry her to the building. He was so kind.”

Holmes and Cruise were married from 2006 to 2012 before calling it quits, and only share Suri together. Since Holmes has been so present in her daughter’s life as the one who has raised her, she says her only hope is to raise an independent young lady who is “confident and able.”

“I love her so much,” she gushes. “My biggest goal has always been to nurture her into her individuality. To make sure she is 100 percent herself and strong, confident and able. And to know it. She came out very strong — she’s always been a strong personality. She’ll pick an activity and work her butt off until she’s really good at it. Then she’s like, ‘OK, I’m going to try the next thing.’ She’s very focused and a hard worker.”