'I would have been there if she'd asked me': Tom Cruise forced to defend why he did not attend daughter Suri's first day of school

It is a day when most parents consider attendance sacrosanct, but Tom Cruise has been forced to explain why he was absent from his daughter Suri's first day of school.
Cruise has been questioned about his role as a father as part of a $50million legal process which has seen the Hollywood superstar sue a magazine company for defaming his parenting skills.
The 51-year-old defended himself during a deposition, claiming he would have been there for Suri's first day of school had she asked him to be.

Daddy's girl: Tom Cruise, pictured with Suri last year, claims he would have been there for his daughter's first day of school had she asked him

The revelations comes one the same day as Katie Holmes is accused of 'smearing' Tom Cruise in a series of leaked emails sent between his staff.

The emails, sent last autumn, sees Tom's publicist Amanda Lundberg accuse Holmes friend and business partner Jeanne Yang of leaking untrue information to journalists during a conversation with other members of Tom Cruise's staff.
The conversation, obtained by Radar Online, also alleges that Katie Holmes press team work to ensure Suri and Katie are pictured together as often as possible.
'[Katie's publicist] calls the paparazzi every time K gets ready to leave the building as the doormen are always surprised how they suddenly show up when she is about to leave,' Lundberg writes to another employed.
Cruise is suing Bauer Publishing for their 2012 cover stories of both Life & Style and In Touch that claimed he had 'abandoned' his daughter Suri after divorcing Holmes on 29 June 2012.

School girls: Suri is pictured being dropped off at her $40,000-a-year private school in Chelsea, Manhattan by her mother Katie Holmes, 34, late last month

'Not an ideal situation': Tom Cruise is suing Life & Style and InTouch for claiming in two cover stories that he had 'abandoned' his daughter Suri

‘I think parents sometimes think it’s (a big day),’ Cruise said of his daughter’s first day at a New York private school.
‘You know with Suri, if she had asked me to be there, I would have been there. I would have tried to make it work out in any way I could.’

He added that he had agreed with his ex-wife Katie Holmes that it would be best if he did not attend, so as to avoid a media circus.

Suri attends a $40,000-a-year school near the apartment in Chelsea, Manhattan, where she lives with her mother.
The revelations comes from a 48-page transcript of a gruelling deposition held in September this year, obtained by Radar, in which Cruise admits he did not see his daughter Suri for 110 days after his divorce.
Radar reports how when asked if his former wife Holmes, 34, had tried to 'protect' Suri from Scientology, Cruise hit back.

In happier times: Tom and Kate are seen doting over their daughter Suri in New York in 2008 during Katie's rehearsals for the Broadway play All My Sons

'Listen, I find that question offensive,' he is quoted as saying. 'I find it, those statements offensive. Like with any relationship, there are many different levels to it. You know, I, I find it very offensive. There is no need to protect my daughter from my religion.'
Cruise was then asked if Scientology was on of the reasons Holmes left him, to which he appeared to admit, replying: 'Did she say that? That was one of the assertions, yes.'
The actor also confirmed that seven-year-old Suri is not longer practising Scientology.
He was then asked if this meant Holmes would be considered a 'Suppressive Person' - a Scientology term used to describe members of the controversial religion who publicly renounce their faith.
'That is a distortion and a simplification of the matter,' he is said to have replied.
'...I don’t want to just give an oversimplification of religious doctrine.'
The site report that an 'angry' Cruise began to explain 'when there is a divorce... things change' at the interrogation held at the LA offices of Cruise's lawyer.

In the document, McNamara probes Tom: 'From June 18 of 2012 until Thanksgiving of 2012, you only say Suri a few times, isn’t that right?,' to which Cruise replies, 'yes'.

Deposition: Radar report that an 'angry' Cruise began to explain 'when there is a divorce... things change' at the interrogation held at the LA offices of Cruise's lawyer.

McNamara then continues to calculate the time that Cruise spent with his daughter Suri following his divorce with Holmes, which totalled 10 days.
Cruise then offers that during that time he was able to remain in Suri's life through conversations on the telephone.
'I’ve gotten very good at it. I’ve gotten very good at it. I tell wonderful stories and they like hearing it.'
But McNamara replied, 'It really doesn’t substitute for being able to be there does it?'

'No, it doesn’t,' Cruise replied.

McNamara pushed further when questioning why Cruise was able to attend a Scientology event and return to his filming schedule within 24 hours, but not make a visit to his daughter.

Far apart: Katie Holmes and daughter Suri Cruise are currently enjoying a break in Cape Town, South Africa

Communicating: Katie - who recently joined Twitter - posted about the trip, saying: 'So happy to be on twitter!!!!!! Sending first tweets from South Africa!!!!! (sic)'

'That’s not true... different situation,' Cruise is quoted as saying.

The deposition becomes even more intense when McNamara compares Cruise's parenting skills to his own father Thomas Mapother III, who allegedly left Cruise when he was a child.

'The fact that you would suggest that I was being like my father… I find that greatly offensive.'
The case - which is expected to go to trial next year - will see Cruise sue In Touch and Life & Style for libel and defamation.

While the lawsuit drags on, Tom's ex-wife Katie has been seen in South Africa, where she is filming.

Holmes - who recently joined Twitter - posted about the trip, saying: 'So happy to be on twitter!!!!!! Sending first tweets from South Africa!!!!! (sic).'