Tom Cruise looks suave while Hayley Atwell flashes her abs at the Top Gun: Maverick London premiere

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Tom Cruise and Jennifer Connelly once again dressed to impress on Thursday as they attended the star-studded London premiere of his latest film Top Gun: Maverick, held at Leicester Square Gardens.

The actor, 59, cut a suave figure in a classic black tuxedo while Jennifer, 51, was elegant in a cream patterned dress as they graced the red carpet, hours after jetting in from the Cannes Film Festival where they attended the film’s screening the previous day.

Tom was in good company at the premiere as Hayley Atwell, his rumoured love interest, was also in attendance with the actress looking stunning in a black velvet crop top and matching long skirt. 

Tom, who reprised his famous role as LT Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell for the film, looked in great spirits as he happily chatted to reporters despite his busy few days promoting the remake of his 1986 hit movie.

He teamed his black dinner jacket and matching trousers with a coordinating bow tie, crisp white shirt and smart shoes. 

Meanwhile, Jennifer, who plays Penny Benjamin, was simply flawless in a floaty cream number with a black floral pattern throughout and bell sleeves.

The actress donned a wait-cinching black belt and added a touch of bling to her stylish look with silver rings.

Unlike in Cannes were she sported a tight bun, Jennifer allowed her raven locks to fall about her in soft waves, while she highlighted her striking features with a sleek make-up palette. 

Jennifer was accompanied by co-star Miles Teller, who plays Bradley Bradshaw in the film, with the actor looking dashing in a smart black suit.

Elsewhere, fellow actress Hayley Atwell, 40, was sure to turn heads as she showcased her toned midriff in a black long-sleeved cropped top and matching maxi skirt.

The showstopping number allowed Hayley to flash her toned back as well as her endless pins thanks to high split at the front.

She accessorised her stunning look with towering gold platform heels and statement emerald earrings, while she swept her brunette locks into a neat bun. 

Hayley starred with leading man Tom in Mission Impossible 7 and amid filming last year was rumoured to be his girlfriend after sources claimed that filming ‘brought them closer’.

It was reported on Thursday that the pair have reportedly grown close once again after the pair split last September.

The acting veteran and his Mission: Impossible 7 co-star who had never expressly confirmed their romance but were said to have ‘grown close’ on the set of the film – were first reported to be an item in December 2020.

And now, according to The Sun, Hayley’s decision to attend the Top Gun: Maverick premiere in London on Thursday evening stems from the pair’s newfound closeness following last year’s break-up.

A source told the publication: ‘She’s purely there to support him. It’s a big step for them.’ 

Meanwhile, things took a right Royal turn at the glitzy event as The Duchess of Cambridge dazzled as she joined Prince William at the premiere.

Kate, 40, looked radiant in an off-the-shoulder Roland Mouret column gown, £2,300 Alexander McQueen clutch and £10,500 diamond star earrings as she made her glamorous entrance on the red carpet. 

The couple joined leading man Tom Cruise and his co-stars Jennifer Connelly and Miles Teller as A-listers and British TV royalty descended on London’s Leicester Square for the glitzy gala showing.

Ahead of the premiere, Cruise, 59, said he and the Duke of Cambridge ‘have a lot in common’ as he spoke of his admiration for the royal.

‘We have a lot in common. We both love England and we’re both aviators, we both love flying,’ he said.

The actor also expressed his joy to be back on the red carpet, saying: ‘I love what I do, I’ve always enjoyed it and I’m enjoying it even more now. ‘Particularly after the last couple of years, just to have an event like this is extraordinary.’

Meanwhile, Tom revealed that Prince William had an advance screen of Top Gun: Maverick ahead of Thursday’s premiere.

He confirmed: ‘Yes, [I arranged it] early on. He’s an aviator, so I knew he’d have a lot of fun.’

Meanwhile, the film star added to ET Online that it was ‘very special’ to have the Royals at the London premiere, while detailing his lifelong love of film.

He explained: ‘It’s very special. I’m here with the actors… I wanted them to have this kind of experience. And then to have a royal premiere in England, it’s very special. It’s very, very special. When I was a little kid I wanted to make movies.’

He continued: ‘I wanted to make films, I wanted to fly, I wanted to travel the world… and meet people. I was always curious, like, “What’s that person like?2 I wanted to sit down and talk to them. I wanted to live in their world. I would dream of that. If you’d look at my films, it is that. It is that sense of adventure, that sense of travel.’

The thespian went on to say that he has been in ‘pursuit of adventure’ for his ‘whole life’ and has been ‘constantly pushing myself’ over the years, with the star adding that he didn’t want to ‘disappoint’ the fans who had been waiting 36 years for the sequel.

The event is being held as a fundraising event in aid of The Film and TV Charity, which supports people working behind the scenes in the UK’s screen sector. 

The previous day at the Cannes screening of his film, Tom looked touched as he was awarded an honorary Palme d’Or award, presented to him by the festival’s president Pierre Lescure.

Speaking at the screening amid his award, Tom said: ‘They all worked so hard to bring this to the big screen, and it’s a dream to be here. I’m never going to forget this evening.’

He went on: ‘Thank you for this time. I make these movies for all of you’, reports The Hollywood Reporter. 

Elsewhere at the premiere, Carol Vorderman channelled her inner Maverick as she slipped her curves into a sexy pilot-style jumpsuit.

The former Countdown star, 61, flashed plenty of cleavage in her low-cut khaki outfit, which she wore with a black belt that cinched her in at the waist.

Carol also a wore badge that read ‘Matherick’ above her left pocket to play on the name of the film and her talent for mathematics.

The numbers whizz wore a pair of black platform heels and shielded her eyes behind a pair of dark aviator sunglasses, at times hooking them over the top of her outfit. 

The former I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! campmate accessorised with a gold necklace and a sparkling bracelet on her wrist.

Carol, who got her pilot’s license in 2014, carried a black clutch purse with her for the evening and struck a number of poses before heading inside.

She said of the outfit: ‘Strictly speaking it should be a gown on the red carpet tonight but this is my little homage to the original Top Gun and to my passion for aviation.’ 

The sequel to Tony Scott’s classic 1986 blockbuster Top Gun has been unanimously praised in early reviews with one even declaring that it ‘improves upon the original in every conceivable way.’ 

Tom, who is famous for doing his own stunts, is said to have trained to withstand g-force power and actually flew in real fighter jets for the sequel.

Peter Hoskin for the Daily Mail gave the film five stars, writing: ‘Whenever the film threatens to become too cosy, it shocks itself – and us – back into the present with another madly ambitious action sequence.’

Tom underwent a full Aviation Survival Training Curriculum before going up in the US Navy F-18, as did his co-stars. They worked up to the supersonic jets by going up in a succession of slower planes first over many months.

Much has been made of Tom’s insistence on real flying scenes, with no CGI work. He has said in numerous interviews that he refused to even talk about a Top Gun sequel unless they flew in real planes.

Tom said: ‘For years, people had said, ‘Can’t you shoot [the movie] with CGI?’ And I always said, ‘No. That’s not the experience.’ I said, ‘I need to find the right story. And we’re going to need the right team. This movie is like trying to hit a bullet with a bullet. I’m not playing.’

The official synopsis for the movie reads: ‘After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him.

‘When he finds himself training a detachment of TOPGUN graduates for a specialised mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose.”  

‘Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.’

The sequel is directed by Joseph Kosinski with a screenplay by Ehren Kruger and Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie.

And is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie, David Ellison.

Also in the cast are Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Charles Parnell, Bashir Salahuddin, Monica Barbaro, Jay Ellis, Danny Ramirez, Greg Tarzan Davis with Ed Harris.

Top Gun: Maverick is soaring into UK cinemas on May 25 and May 27 in the US.