Katie Holmes is opening up like never before.

As you’ll likely recall, Tom Cruise‘s ex-wife was subject to particularly intense public scrutiny following her move to the Big Apple after their separation. Now, the 41-year-old is reflecting back on the early days in New York City as she built her new life, and what Suri Cruise is like today.

Related: Katie Holmes Celebrates Suri Cruise’s 13th Birthday In Paris With Friends

Thinking back to her 2012 move to NYC, she recalled one “incredible moment” in particular in her InStyle April cover story:

“That time was intense. It was a lot of attention, and I had a little child on top of it. We had some funny moments out and about in public. So many people I didn’t know became my friends and helped us out, and that’s what I love about the city. There was one incredible moment when I think I actually cried. Suri was 6 or 7, and she was spending the night at a friend’s house while I was seeing the ballet at Lincoln Center. At 10 o’clock I got a call: “Mommy, can you come get me?” I got a cab and went down to Battery Park to pick her up. She was exhausted. She fell asleep on the way home, and when we pulled up to our building, the cab driver opened the door and helped me not wake her. He helped carry her to the building. He was so kind.”

She also spoke about how she handles getting “a lot of attention at different points” in her life:

“Obviously, as a public person, I’ve gotten a lot of attention at different periods in my life. And when you have a lot of attention, sometimes you don’t want to leave the house because it’s just too much. You can get consumed by what people think, but suddenly you just decide to do things on your own terms. I feel like I’m finally figuring that out. I’m getting the projects I want made and just relaxing a little. I’ve been around for a long time, and I’m still here! I can’t believe it.”

Not to mention her “strong, confident” daughter, Suri. Though Holmes did not comment on the relationship (or lack thereof) her teen has with the Mission Impossible star, it’s evident their mother-daughter bond is unbreakable:

“I love her so much. My biggest goal has always been to nurture her into her individuality. To make sure she is 100 percent herself and strong, confident, and able. And to know it. She came out very strong — she’s always been a strong personality. She’ll pick an activity and work her butt off until she’s really good at it. Then she’s like, “OK, I’m going to try the next thing.” She’s very focused and a hard worker.”

However, the Logan Lucky star recalls struggling with the intense focus on her when she was young:

“I have to say, I did recently see some fan site [about her] posted when she was a baby, and it was very intense. We were followed a lot when she was little. I just wanted her outside, so I would walk her around to find parks at, like, 6 in the morning when nobody would see us. But there’s one video where I’m holding her — she was 2 at the time — and she starts waving at the cameras. She’s pretty special.”

We love hearing from Katie! She’s such a breath of fresh air.

What do U think of everything she had to say, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF (below) in the comments and let us know!!

[Image via WENN/Instar & Ian Wilson/WENN.]

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