Tom Cruise's ex-wife Mimi Rogers has defended his new relationship with Katie Holmes.

The actress has slammed rumours that the pair are simply looking for publicity, as she thinks that Cruise and Holmes are successful enough already.

"Okay, he and Katie fell in love, they're getting married," Rogers is quoted by Femalefirst.co.uk as saying. "Why is this in the news? Why is this a big deal? Is there something unusual about meeting someone and falling in love?

"He needs so much help career-wise. Here's the thing, you're the biggest movie star in the world, you've got a gazillion dollars, why does he need to do anything?

"[Is he] like, 'Let's see, I'm the biggest movie star in the world. I have a gazillion dollars I need to do a fake wedding.' Explain that to me.

"Let's look at Katie Holmes: 'I'm 26, I'm gorgeous, I have a huge movie that just opened, I've got like 10 million offers. I need to have a fake marriage.'

"Maybe they fell in love and they're getting married - it's the only rational answer that I can come up with."

Cruise and Rogers were married for three years in the late 1980s.