For Katie Holmes this year’s Independence Day has added meaning after filing for divorce from Tom Cruise last week.
Embracing her newfound freedom, the 33-year-old stepped out this morning with daughter Suri to pick up some July Fourth supplies in New York.
With the weight of over five years of marriage to the superstar lifted off her shoulders, Holmes looked like your average shopper (well, aside from the security and shutterbugs who were following her that is) as she stocked up on American July Fourth traditions such as ground beef, hamburger rolls, strawberries and bananas.
The former “Dawsons Creek” star also broke her silence over her split from Cruise telling the New York Daily News, “I’m alright. Thank you.”
On Tuesday night, Holmes and Suri were pictured buying ice cream on a sweltering summer’s night in the city’s East Village.
“Katie looked happy and was friendly to the customers and staff while Suri sat on her mom’s lap,” an eyewitness at the ice cream shop told People.
And it seems little Suri is unaware of the nasty custody battle for which the stage is already been set between Holmes and Cruise.
Though Holmes has filed for sole custody, Cruise is expected to challenge this.
However, his lawyer remains somewhat tight-lipped over Cruise’s legal challenge.
Bret Fields revealed: ”Tactically we can’t say where Tom will file a divorce case and if he’ll be seeking joint custody of Suri. We are letting the other side play the media until they wear everyone out and then we’ll have something to say.
”It’s not Tom’s style to do this publicly. He is really sad about what’s happening.”
Meanwhile, Cruise was said to have flown from Iceland to L.A to mark his 50th birthday yesterday.
Holmes filed for divorce on June 28 and said in a statement that her’ “primary concern remains, as it always has been, her daughter’s best interest.” Cruise’s rep, meanwhile, said the actor was “deeply saddened” by his Holmes’ divorce filing.
Holmes and Suri, 6, have moved into a new, 3-bedroom apartment, which apparently Cruise knew of in advance but thought the move was necessitated for privacy reasons and had no idea it was because she planned to divorce him.
There is one bright spot for Cruise, however: He led Forbes‘ annual list of the 100 highest paid actors released on Tuesday, earning nearly twice that of second place Leonardo DiCaprio, pulling in a whopping $75 million between May 2011 and May 2012.
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