Tom Cruise's bizarre wife hunt

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FAILED RELATIONSHIP: Actress Nazanin Boniadi who was chosen through an auditioning-process to date Tom Cruise.

Before Tom Cruise publicly fell in love with his now ex-wife Katie Holmes he reportedly went through a bizarre "wife-auditioning" process organised by Scientology.

In 2004 the organisation embarked on the top-secret project headed by Shelly Miscavige, wife of Scientology chief David Miscavige, which involved finding a partner for Tom Cruise, Vanity Fair reports in its October issue.

An elaborate auditioning process was organised and the actor was presented with potential wives who were already Scientology members.

According to the magazine Nazanin Boniadi, an Iranian-born, London-raised actress and Scientologist, was eventually picked and dated Cruise from November 2004 until January 2005.

The month-long auditioning process in October 2004 included revealing her "innermost secrets and every detail of her sex life" in daily sessions with a high-ranking Scientology official and she had to sign several confidentiality agreements before being introduced to Cruise.

The report says that after two months Cruise dumped Boniadi after she "disrespected" a fast-speaking Miscavige by saying "excuse me?" when she had problems understanding him.

Boniadi was then told by Scientology officials that her relationship with Crusie was over, that she had to move into Scientology's Celebrity Centre and the actor was not to be disturbed by her.

While living at a Scientology centre in Florida, Boniadi opened up to friend about her failed relationship with Cruise, which she had been forbidden to reveal.

The magazine says the friend reported her and Boniadi's punishment "was to scrub toilets with a toothbrush, clean ! bathroom tiles with acid and dig ditches in the middle of the night. After that she was sent out to sell Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard's Dianetics on street corners".

Scientology representatives dispute the article, Vanity Fair reports, saying there was no such secret project and that they do not punish followers.

- Fairfax NZ News