Tom and Penelope hit town

Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz, now arguably the world's most famous showbusiness couple, have arrived in London in the midst of a media circus.

Less than an hour after they touched down in Cruise's private plane yesterday, the pair visited The Ivy restaurant in Soho. The couple - who got together after Cruise split with his former wife, Australian actress Nicole Kidman - stayed for an hour and a half before heading for the Dorchester in Park Lane.

Cruise, 39, arrived in a Mercedes at a side door to their hotel, where he signed autographs for a waiting crowd, while the 27-year-old Spanish actress was ushered in, circled by security guards.

According to sources at the hotel, the pair went straight to their sixth-floor suite. Their £2,220-a-night suite has eight rooms and a panoramic view of Hyde Park from a colossal balcony and roof garden. Cruise and Cruz are here for this week's premiere of the film Vanilla Sky. The couple first met on the set.

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