REAL LIFE, REAL BREAKUPS
BIG SPLITS

They are great successes in their careers,
but when it comes to love, they fell apart!

It's the divorce that's got all of Hollywood talking. After nine years and 11 months of being Tinseltown's happiest married couple, Tom Cruise, 38, and Nicole Kidman, 33, are calling it quits!
     Less than 48 hours after announcing their separation, Cruise filed divorce papers in downtown Los Angeles Superior Court, seeking joint custody of their two adopted children, Connor, 6, and Isabella, 8. But there's a lot more at stake besides the kids and the family dog — between their respective movie careers, the couple is said to have amassed a fortune of nearly a billion dollars, enough money to make even the friendliest divorce get nasty.
     What went wrong? Sources say Kidman wanted to raise her children in Australia, while Cruise wanted to remain in the U.S. As she told the press, "Hollywood warps your values."
     Another source says the two were butting heads over their religious beliefs — particularly, Cruise's deep involvement in the religion Scientology. "She did not want the children to be raised in Scientology," a friend told People magazine.
     Friends of the actress say she was broadsided by the very public news of their eminent divorce (she reportedly canceled a photo shoot after the news of their breakup became front-page fodder for almost every newspaper in America, and much of Europe as well). Sadly, last year she had told Talk magazine, "All I can say is that I hope we can be together when we are 80. I can't say we will be, but I will be so devastated if we are not."
Baldwin Disaster
Former daytime-turned-film star Alec Baldwin (Billy, THE DOCTORS; Joshua, KNOTS LANDING), who separated from his wife Kim Basinger, in January, knows what Kidman and Cruise are going through. "I was really sorry to hear about Tom and Nicole. It's very upsetting when breakups happen," he told the press at the New York premiere of "Hannibal," his first public appearance since his own, very public, split from his wife. As to his own marital woes, Baldwin admitted, "I didn't want it to happen. But I guess Kim is like everyone who thinks at some point that they may be better off on their own."
     Baldwin added that he'd just seen his wife and daughter over the weekend and that "Kim could not have been nicer." The couple's daughter Ireland is five.

Real-Life Soaps
We're also sorry to report that GENERAL HOSPITAL's Kristina Wagner is splitting from her husband of seven years, Jack Wagner (ex-Frisco, GH; Peter, MELROSE PLACE). The couple has two children, Petey, 10, and Harrison, 6.
     "They were like the prince and princess of daytime — a couple who met on the set and fell in love," says a longtime fan of the duo. "I can't believe it's over."
     Insiders speculate that the trouble may have come to a head this past summer when Wagner made his Broadway debut in "Jekyll & Hyde," a show 3,000 miles away from his wife and kids, who were back home in L.A.
     "Kristina took time of from GH last summer to spend time with her husband and try and repair their marriage while Jack was dividing his time between New York, and she wanted to be with him," says a source. Unfortunately, the couple was unable to work it out.
     Another daytime divorce that recently surprised everyone was the dissolution of Jon Lindstrom (Kevin, PORT CHARLES) and Eileen Davidson's (Ashley, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS) marriage. Married since May of 1997, friends of the couple were shocked when they heard the news that they were splitting.
     Although the couple had been actively mentoring a child, their union produced no children. Although reps for the stars say the two have parted on good terms and remain friends, tabloid reports have linked Davidson to a new man...
Ryan Quit Tryin'
Another recently split couple working hard to keep their relations friendly are Meg Ryan (ex-Betsy, AS THE WORLD TURNS) and Dennis Quaid. When news of their nine-year marriage was over became public this year, fans and friends were shocked. News of Ryan's romantic involvement with "Gladiator" star Russell Crowe put the nail in the coffin — but pals say Ryan and Quaid are devoted to son Jack and will put their differences aside to get him through this rough time. Ryan and Crowe are finito, while Quaid is rumored to be romancing Andie MacDowell.
     It looked as if GH's Wally Kurth (Ned) and Rena Sofer (ex-Lois, GH) might be on the path to reconciliation, but the couple says they are not getting back together. They share custody of their daughter Rosabel, born in 1996, and they work hard to maintain a good relationship, which means getting together often. Although the former soap duo is separated, they are not yet officially divorced, and have no plans at this time.