DID TOM BAN NICOLE'S FAMILY FROM THE RED CARPET?!

The Mission: Impossible star wasn't about to risk a tense encounter in Sydney

Looking dapper in a black suit, Tom Cruise appeared happy to be spending his 61st birthday, walking the red carpet in Sydney for his long-awaited action hit, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.

“What a gorgeous, gorgeous city this is,” Tom told Richard Wilkins at the premiere. “I’ve spent so much time here so it’s great to be back.”

But behind the red carpet pleasantries, an insider says Tom was feeling anxious about returning to Sydney, where he spent so much time with his ex-wife Nicole Kidman.

“Tom didn’t want any dramas, nor any reminders of his time as ‘Mr Kidman’,” the source explains. “Visiting Australia with Nic and their kids was the first time in his life he felt part of something bigger than his career. It will always be an emotional return for him."

And it seems Tom may have taken extra measures to avoid any awkward exchanges at his premiere - eliminating any chance of bumping into Nicole's niece Lucia Hawley, who is the local red carpet host for Live From E!.

CULLING THE GUEST LIST 

"Tom was very strict about who was on that red carpet he didn't want any surprises," the source says.