Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman has warned her ex-husband Tom Cruise to avoid photographic publicity stunts with his new girlfriend Katie Holmes because it makes their romance look fake.

Polls in the US magazines People and US Weekly showed a majority of readers were sceptical about the sincerity of Cruise and Holmes' relationship because both have films released this month - Cruise stars in "War of the Worlds" while Holmes is in "Batman Begins", reports celebrity portal Femalefirst.

And "Cold Mountain" star Kidman fears the new couple's carefully prepared photo opportunities are doing nothing to convince cynics that their relationship is real.

She told style magazine Vanity Fair: "In terms of your life, if you start to exploit it, then what's real, and what's not? What's yours, and what isn't?"