TOM like a rock to devastated MEG RYAN after Mellencamp smash-up.
In THE wake of her heartbreaking split from John Mellencamp, a distraught Meg Ryan has turned to her “Sleepless in Seattle” and “You’ve Got Mail” co-star Tom Hanks for desperately needed emotional support.
The l Enquirer has learned that the 52-year-old actress was phoning Tom regularly from Chappaquiddick, Mass., where she was spending the end of the summer after her three-year relationship with the rocker collapsed.
“Meg and Tom have remained close pals since the ’90s,” disclosed an insider. “Tom’s wife, Rita Wilson, knows it’s not romantic. He has always been an emotional rock for Meg – and she needs him now more than ever.”
Recalled a close source: “Tom was there when Meg busted up with husband Dennis Quaid in 2001 over her affair with Russell Crowe – and he was there again, encouraging her when she adopted a 14-month-old girl from China five years later. “Now Tom will help soothe her during this breakup. Meg is shattered because she never expected to be at this point in her life without being in a happy relationship. She feels lucky to have him in her life.”
As The ENQUIRER revealed, Meg and Mellencamp, who divorced in 2010, had difficulty over their long-distance relationship. Meg resided happily in New York City, but the 62-year-old “Small Town” singer was rooted in his beloved Indiana. “In the end, John couldn’t commit because he hated life in the Big Apple,” said the insider. “He’s not a big city guy. She wanted him to move but he refused.”
Sources say the beginning of the end came last December when Mellencamp made his position painfully clear in a candid interview with “Rolling Stone”: “I’m not leaving Indiana. I’m going to die here.”
While picking up the pieces, Meg has some happy news. “She is going to get to spend some quality time with her pal Tom,” said the close source.Tom will reportedly be working as an executive on an upcoming film that Meg is both starring in and directing – the World War II drama “Ithaca.”
In addition to serving as executive producer, the veteran actor is also expected to make a cameo appearance. “Working with Tom again will be refreshing for Meg,” observed the insider. “He’s just the tonic she needs to get over John and resume her life.”
