Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are to divorce after five years of marriage.

The Hollywood couple has been dogged by long-running rumours of a split and now the Batman Begins actress' attorney, Jonathan Wolfe, has confirmed the sad news - four days before Cruise turns 50 on Tuesday.

In a statement released on Friday, Wolfe writes, "This is a personal and private matter for Katie and her family.

"Katie's primary concern remains, as it always has been, her daughter's best interest."

The Mission: Impossible star exchanged vows with Holmes in a fairytale wedding in an Italian castle in 2006. They have a six-year-old daughter, named Suri.

Cruise has been divorced twice before - his first marriage to Mimi Rogers ended after less than three years together, while he split from Nicole Kidman in 2001 after 10 years as man and wife.

The divorce news won't be a surprise to many fans after Holmes skipped her husband's film premiere for Rock of Ages in Los Angeles earlier this month. The movie superstar told red carpet reporters his wife had business to attend to in China and couldn't change her schedule.

Meanwhile, as Cruise prepares to celebrate his 50th birthday in Iceland with his adopted son Connor, Holmes and Suri have been spotted out and about in New York City.