She's taller than him, and a brunette, but that's where the similarity ends, as Tom Cruise cosies up to a woman who is clearly not wife Katie Holmes.

Tom and the mystery brunette were seen cuddling in Los Angeles last week. And it's clear there was a previous acquaintance between the two as they greeted each other rather warmly.

The Mission Impossible star's wife was nowhere to be seen as Tom and the woman walked arm-in-arm inside a building, and disappeared into an elevator.

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It's a mystery: Tom Cruise gets cosy with a mystery brunette who is definitely not wife Katie Holmes in Los Angeles earlier this week

The tall brunette had a protective arm around the movie star as they were seen entering a lift together in a building in LA

Cruise looked relaxed and was smiling as the mystery brunette kept a protective arm around him, but kept his trademark sunglasses on.

Later the pair openly posed for a photograph together, so there was little suggestion of anything irregular.

It was clearly a moment of light relief, as the world's most famous Scientologist has of late been mired in controversy over his new film Valkyrie.

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Elevator man: Cruise and his mystery companion are photographed together inside the elevator

Cruise's casting as German war hero Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg has caused controversy with anti-Scientology critics in Germany.

Tom and his wife Katie Holmes seen leaving an LA eaterie on February 4

Von Stauffenberg was executed in 1944 at the Bendlerblock in Berlin for his part in a failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler.

Last year, the German Protestant Church compared the star status Cruise gave to the Church of Scientology to the work of Goebbels.

Thomas Gandow of the German Protestant Church said Valkyrie is "propaganda for Scientology" and described Cruise was the "Goebbels of Scientology".

He said: "This film will have the same propaganda advantages for Scientology as the 1936 Olympics had for the Nazis."

Last month it was revealed that Cruise donated £2.5million to the church, doubling his contribution from the previous year. He has paid a total of £5million to the organisation since 2004.