Katie Holmes: Motherhood made me strong

Katie Holmes (32) didn’t realize her own inner strength until she became a mother. The actress — who has a five-year-old daughter, Suri, with husband Tom Cruise — was “surprised” at the depths of her feelings which surfaced when she first became a parent.

“I think a tremendous amount of strength is revealed when you become a parent that you didn’t know you had, and a tremendous burst of love that you didn’t know you were capable of feeling and giving,” she said.

“Both of those things are a surprise and they’re the best.”

The Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark actress believes being a mother has made her more insightful and Katie says she recognizes any sign that Suri is upset immediately.

“Any child in peril means something different to me now I’m a mother,” she said.

“You go on alert and you know the sound of your own child’s voice and cry immediately. Being a mother only gave me more insight. When you’re a parent, you can’t turn things on and off. It’s kind of like you’re raw.”

Katie took Suri on to the set of Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark but because it is a horror movie, she made sure the scenes to be shot each day were suitable for the youngster to see.

“I would only have Suri there when it was obviously lighter scenes,” she added.

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