NEW YORK:

Viacom chief Sumner Redstone’s decision to discontinue Tom Cruise’s deal with Paramount Pictures seems to have been influenced by his wife Paula Fortunato and the actor’s wacky off-screen behaviour that turned off female fans.

According to page-six.com, Paula was upset with Cruise slamming Brooke Shields for going public about her depression.

Cruise, on national TV, had said: “Here is a woman - and I care about Brooke Shields because she is an incredibly talented woman — where has her career gone? These drugs are dangerous.

I have actually helped people come off them. When you talk about postpartum depression, you can take people today, women, and what you do is, you use vitamins.” According to an informed source, Paula told her husband: “I never want to see another Tom Cruise movie again!”

Viacom spokesperson Carl Folta said: “It is true that Mrs Redstone disagrees with Tom Cruise’s views, but she and Mr Redstone see every Paramount film.”