Hollywood lovers wow London fans

LONDON, England -- Hollywood couple Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz spent an hour chatting to fans outside the UK premiere of the movie which brought them together.

The lovers signed autographs and shook hands with onlookers who were standing eight deep among the 2,000 fans gathered in London's Leicester Square on Monday.

After wandering around separately, they teamed up for a tender embrace before entering the cinema for the screening of Vanilla Sky.

Cruise, 39, also repeated the public relations coup at his last London premiere for Mission: Impossible 2 -- chatting on fans' mobile phones as they handed them to him.

The actor was married to Nicole Kidman when he filmed Vanilla Sky, but the couple announced their separation shortly after work on it ended last year.

They have since divorced and Cruise has begun a relationship with co-star Cruz, although they have repeatedly denied the romance began on set.

Cruise arrived on Monday wearing a three-quarter length black jacket, in contrast to the casual look he adopted for his last London appearance.

Cruz, 27, wore a black polo neck and floor-skimming A-line crimson satin skirt.

Cruise said: "I wanted to spend time out here with people who had waited so long. We were just having fun, calling up peoples' friends and family and leaving messages on their answerphones."

Speaking about his lover, the star said: "Penelope is an enormous talent and I have admired her from her other films, but in terms of our personal life, nothing happened on set.

"To be frank, you know, I don't read gossip and so I'm not up on what people are gossiping about. I'm just interested in making great pictures.

"Now is a great time in my life and I'm very satisfied with the way things are right now."

Cruz was in an original Spanish version of the film which director Cameron Crowe adapted into a $50 million U.S.-based version. The film has had mixed reviews. New York paper Newsday said of it: "All things considered, if you're going to miss one film this year, make it Vanilla Sky."

The film opens in the UK on January 25.