Madonna defends 'marginalised' Cruise

Rex Features

Madonna has claimed that Tom Cruise gets a "raw deal" over his belief in Scientology.

The singer, who is a devotee of mystical Jewish offshoot Kabbalah, said Cruise should not be criticised for his religious affiliations.

Speaking after the actor and wife Katie Holmes attended a reception for her charity Raising Malawi, she told New York magazine: "I don't care if people worship turtles or frogs - if they're good people, that's all I care about, and he is a good person.

"I think he gets a raw deal, just as I think the orphans in Malawi get a raw deal; just as I think a lot of marginalised people get a raw deal."