Melbourne, Jan 7 (ANI): The Church of Scientology has dismissed speculations that Nicole Kidman was threatened with blackmail after she divorced its most popular follower, Tom Cruise.

Author Andrew Morton has mentioned in his unauthorised biography of Cruise that Scientology was the main factor responsible for the failure of the 45-year-old actor's marriage to Kidman.

Scientologists reportedly threatened to blackmail the Australian actress if she opened her mouth against the controversial religion after her marriage failed.

The book said that a former senior Scientologist told Morton how Kidman's attorney, Bill Beslow, revealed that the 40-year-old actress 'hated' Scientology by the time Cruise made up his mind to split with her in 2000.

However, she decided not to open her mouth against the religion in case she lost contact with her kids and details of her sex life with the actor were exposed.

Elliot Abelson, general counsel for the Church of Scientology International, said that reports of blackmail were not true. He said Morton made no such allegation.

"No one ever alleged that the church threatened to blackmail Nicole,'' News.com.au quoted Abelson, as saying.

"None of it is true. The guy (a former Scientologist) might have said (that she would lose contact with her children if she didn't keep quiet), but clearly he had no authority to say that because he had already been thrown out of the church, and he was lying,'' he added. (ANI)