As a relationship expert and executive matchmaker for the past seven years, Amy Laurent has plenty of advice when it comes to navigating the dating world. And, now she’s putting it out there publicly starring on Bravo’s new reality series ‘Miss Advised,’ a show that features three single relationship experts as they attempt to follow their own dating advice in the search for love.
Given Laurent’s background, we thought she’d be the perfect source to comment on the most talked about divorce of the week (and most likely the year), the infamous TomKat split. By now, we’ve all read the tabloids or heard the news that Tom’s obsession with Scientology was a huge factor in their divorce (source), but how important is religion to a marriage?
“For some people, religion is an absolute deal-breaker, and you have to respect that when choosing a potential partner,” Laurent explains. “I think it’s a waste of time to try to put two people together with different religious opinions.”
Related: Katie Holmes Files for Divorce from Tom Cruise
Although Laurent advises against coupling up if you have religious differences, many people do marry outside of their religion and go on to have happy and healthy relationships. However, most of them aren’t A-list celebrities who live a very public life while one of them is strong-arming the other about the beliefs of the secretive practice of Scientology. In this case, Cruise’s religious beliefs and intention to have Suri attend a Scientology “boot camp,” according to The Sun, may have been more important than the views of his catholic-raised wife, Katie.
“I encourage my clients to be very open and to not have a laundry list,” Laurent says. “Ultimately, if you’re going to find the right match and not waste your own time or the other person’s time, you have to very honest about what’s important to you.”
With Katie now on the singles market, everyone is left guessing who she’ll date next. It’s definitely too early to tell, but Laurent says that she’s always seen Katie with someone who is “more mellow and chill.”
“I see her being with someone who has more of a laid back approach to their relationship because I feel like that will really let Katie shine.” As for Tom, “Definitely a Scientologist,” Laurent says with a laugh. “She needs to be very type-A and a perfectionist — someone with the same level of intensity as he has.”
Related: Heidi Klum and Seal: Marriages Don’t End Overnight
Of course, neither Holmes nor Cruise should dive back into the dating world any time soon. For the time being, their primary focus should be on their six-year-old daughter, Suri. “Anyone going through a divorce with children needs to be very sensitive to figuring out how this new dynamic is going to work. No matter what happened, Katie and Tom still have to be a team for Suri’s sake,” Laurent explains.
When she’s not setting up her clients or analyzing other people’s relationships, Laurent has her own love life to sort out. As viewers will see on this season of ‘Miss Advised,’ she gives romance a shot for the first time in a long time. “I end up having a few great dates where I can finally relax and enjoy it without being totally type-A and trying to control everything. Maybe I should date Tom!,” she chuckles.
“Obviously, there are things that I still struggle with throughout the show,” Laurent adds. “But I will say that there is someone who I see a few times who is a really amazing guy. I’m kind of excited for my dating future — maybe there is hope for me.” As fun as it may look, Laurent notes that this show provides a great opportunity for viewers to learn from her mistakes and improve their own love lives.
Related: 5 Ways Playing Hard to Get Can Damage Your Love Life
Laurent is releasing her first book next month, ‘8 Weeks to Everlasting: A Step-By-Step Guide to Getting (and Keeping!) the Guy You Want.’ “It’s very easy for me to coach my clients and give them the rules that work. But it’s very hard for me to follow my own guidance, and that’s where I got the inspiration to write this handbook,” she explains. “It’s a girl’s dating bible that really breaks down, step-by-step, the first eight weeks after meeting someone new.”
She adds, “I started writing this book in the middle of shooting ‘Miss Advised’ because I recognized that no matter who you are — whether you’re a matchmaker, a teacher, whoever — everybody needs a support system. It’s been helpful for me — I realized that my rules really work!”
Check out Laurent via her Web site, AmyLaurent.com Twitter or Facebook, and be sure to watch ‘Miss Advised’ on Mondays at 10/9c on Bravo. Also, keep your eyes open for her new book ‘8 Weeks to Everlasting: A Step-By-Step Guide to Getting (and Keeping!) the Guy You Want.’
