Renee Bargh on rumours she dated Tom Cruise, and confirms his height

Australian TV presenter Renee Bargh has broken her silence on rumours she enjoyed a secret romance with actor Tom Cruise two years ago.

In July 2018, Woman’s Day magazine reported that Renee, a red carpet correspondent for U.S. entertainment show Extra, was discreetly dating the Mission: Impossible star after they’d ‘hit it off’ at a film premiere in Paris.

But the 33-year-old journalist rubbished the claims on Friday, telling The Kyle and Jackie O Show the speculation was ‘ridiculous’ and untrue.

Los Angeles-based Renee said she had ‘no idea’ where the false rumours came from.

‘We just had a couple of great interviews on a red carpet, I think in Paris, and then someone just wrote that article… it came out of nowhere,’ she said.

Renee, who will return to screens on Sunday as host of the ninth season of The Voice Australia, also set the record straight on Tom’s height.

Fake news! In July 2018, Woman’s Day magazine reported that Renee, a red carpet correspondent for U.S. entertainment show Extra, was discreetly dating the Mission: Impossible star after they’d ‘hit it off’ at a film premiere in Paris (pictured)

She disclosed that she was 5ft 7 inches, and that Tom was ‘taller than me when I interviewed him. Everybody was mentioning that’.

Mystery has surrounded Tom’s stature for years, and it’s believed the high-profile Scientologist sometimes wears elevator shoes to appear taller. 

Celebrity Heights lists him as 5ft 7 ¾ inches (172.1 cm), but he reportedly described himself in 1988 as ‘5 feet 9 inches’.

Scottish comedian Billy Connolly once said he was ‘at least 5ft 10’. 

Nothing to see here! Renee, 33, rubbished the claims on Friday, telling The Kyle and Jackie O Show the speculation was ‘ridiculous’ and untrue. Pictured on January 19, 2020 in Los Angeles

Blindsided: The Queensland-born, Los Angeles-based journalist (pictured here with Brad Pitt) said she had ‘no idea’ where the false rumours came from

His height has been scrutinised partly due to his fondness for taller women, including wives Nicole Kidman (5ft 10 ½ inches, or 179.1 cm) and Katie Holmes (5ft 9 inches, 175.3 cm).

Nicole, 52, was famously quoted as saying after her divorce from Tom in 2001: ‘I can wear heels again!’

It comes two years after Woman’s Day reported that Tom, 57, had flirted up a storm with Renee during an interview for his film Mission: Impossible – Fallout in Paris. 

‘Tom usually loathes doing media, but it was like he forgot the camera was there as soon as he laid eyes on Renee,’ an insider reportedly claimed.

Tall order: Renee also set the record straight on Tom’s height. She disclosed that she was 5ft 7 inches, and that Tom was ‘taller than me when I interviewed him’. Tom is pictured here with his ex-wife Katie Holmes (5ft 9 inches, 175.3 cm) on February 26, 2012 in West Hollywood

‘He hasn’t laughed like that in years. She totally brought out the best in him – and was rather giggly herself,’ the source added.

Tom apparently wanted to keep talking to Renee even after the cameras had stopped rolling.

At the time, Renee lavished Tom with praise on Instagram, sharing a photo of the pair posing arm in arm after their interview.

Height matters: Tom is 5ft 7 ¾ inches (172.1 cm), but sometimes wears elevator shoes to appear taller. He is pictured with his ex-wife Nicole Kidman (5ft 10 ½ inches, or 179.1 cm) in May 2000

She captioned the post: ‘I’ll give you an impossible mission – find someone nicer to interview than Tom Cruise!

‘After years of hearing about how gracious and cool this man is, I now understand why. Tom well surpassed his reputation.’

The Top Gun star hasn’t debuted a serious love interest since he divorced Katie Holmes, the mother of his daughter Suri, in 2012. 

Former flames: The Top Gun star hasn’t debuted a serious love interest since he divorced Katie Holmes in 2012. Pictured in June 2005 in Los Angeles

Renee’s last confirmed relationship was with actor Glenn Powell, but they broke up in November 2019 after one year of dating.

She had previously dated retired AFL star Josh Gibson from 2014 to 2015.

Speaking to Stellar magazine in February 2018, Renee said she hoped to find ‘that Nicole and Keith kind of love’. 

She was referring, of course, to Nicole Kidman – Tom’s second wife, to whom he was married from 1990 to 2001 – and her husband, country musician Keith Urban.

Unlucky in love: Renee’s last confirmed relationship was with actor Glenn Powell, but they broke up in November 2019 after one year of dating. She had previously dated retired AFL star Josh Gibson (left) from 2014 to 2015.