'She was being chosen for a mission': Vanity Fair author stands by controversial claim Nazanin Boniadi was being auditioned to marry Tom Cruise by Scientology officials

The author of the bombshell Vanity Fair article claiming Scientology officials auditioned 'dozen of young women' for Tom Cruise prior to his marriage to Katie Holmes is standing by her story.
Maureen Orth, a special correspondent for the magazine, appeared on Good Morning America today in the wake of strenuous denials about her claims from Tom Cruise and the Church Of Scientology.
Despite the growing storm, Orth fanned the flames further, alleging actress Nazanin Boniadi was being carefully vetted by the church as a potential candidate to be Cruise's girlfriend.
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Speaking out: Vanity Fair writer Maureen Orth appeared on Good Morning America today where she stood by claims in her article that Scientology officials auditioned women to be Tom Cruise's girlfriend

Media storm: Orth's appearance comes in the wake of strenuous denials from both Cruise's spokesman and a strongly-worded statement from the Church of Scientology, branding the claims as 'hogwash'

Orth told GMA that Iranian-born, London-raised Boniadi 'was told she was being chosen for a mission' and was 'really going to save the world'.
And she claimed that Boniadi did not know what was in store for her - or that she would end up meeting Cruise.
Orth said: '[She] was told that she was being chosen for a mission, that was really going to save the world. That she was going to be meeting dignitaries, that it was very important that she look good, and be worldly.'
She went on: 'And she had no idea, when it began, that [she] was going to end up meeting Tom Cruise.'

In the spotlight: Nazanin Boniadi 'was told she was being chosen for a mission' and was 'really going to save the world,' according to Orth

Newly single: Cruise poses with fans while out with friends in Croatia earlier this week

Orth also claimed today that Cruise was in on the act, adding: 'I do believe that [Cruise] was very much aware that it was going on, or at least he had certainly heard about her, because by the time he met her he did know all about her.'
Her new comments come after strenuous denials from both Cruise and the church.
Earlier this week a spokesman for the Church of Scientology vehemently denied the claims in the magazine article.

Controversial cover story: The October issue of Vanity Fair

The statement read: 'The entire story is hogwash. There was no project, secret or otherwise, ever conducted by the Church to find a bride (audition or otherwise) for any member of the Church.  Never. 
'The allegation and entire premise of the Vanity Fair article is totally false. Like clockwork, stories about this 'phantom' audition surface in the tabloids every few months. We have been denying this ridiculous tale now since it first appeared in print FOUR years ago.' 
A spokesman for Cruise also poured cold water on the article, saying: 'Lies in a different font are still lies - designed to sell magazines.'
According to Vanity Fair, the secretive religious group organised an 'audition' process to find Cruise a wife, grilling dozens of young women to make sure they posed no threat to the church or its most famous member.
And his now-ex-wife Ms Holmes was apparently not the first choice - the church wanted Cruise to marry a young actress who was already a Scientologist, but Boniadi was seen as disrespectful to religious leaders, the magazine claimed.

The shocking allegations about the origins of the stars' six-year marriage are made in the October issue of Vanity Fair.
In the article, Orth claims that the project to identify a new partner for Cruise, following the break-up of his relationships with Nicole Kidman and Penelope Cruz, started in 2004 and was headed by Shelly Miscavige, wife of the church's top official David Miscavige.

Family: The once-golden Hollywood couple together with their daughter Suri in Japan in 2009

A number of Scientologist actresses were interviewed by church leaders, former official Marc Headley claims, and told they were being considered for a role in a new training video.

Single mother: Suri and Katie out in New York earlier this week

However, they were allegedly faced with unexpected questions such as: 'What do you think of Tom Cruise?'
Katie Holmes, who did not become a Scientologist until she started going out with Cruise, was not part of this process, the article says.
Instead, Mrs Miscavige allegedly chose Nazanin Boniadi, then 24, to be the megastar's new partner.
The reports goes on to claim she was told she had been selected for 'a very important mission', and ordered to break up with her boyfriend.
When Miss Boniadi was flown to New York and taken for dinner by Cruise at trendy restaurant Nobu, she began to suspect she was part of an elaborate set-up, Orth writes.
The pair went ice-skating at Rockefeller Center, where the rink had been closed for them, then spent the night together, it was alleged.
The actress, who has appeared in General Hospital, How I Met Your Mother and blockbuster Iron Man, was also made to sign multiple confidentiality agreements over her relationship with Cruise, Vanity Fair claims.
Her relationship with the star remained a secret, and Vanity Fair alleges that she was once forced to do manual labour for telling a friend about the affair.
Just a few months after the break-up, Mr Cruise started seeing Ms Holmes, who converted to Scientology ahead of their marriage in November 2006.
Ms Holmes filed for divorce in June, and the split was finalised two weeks later.

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