Who is Katie Holmes' new boyfriend Emilio Vitolo Jr? Here's why the celebrity chef is being called a 'cheater'
Actress Katie Holmes, who was married to Tom Cruise for six years, is back in the dating game. The 'Batman Begins' actress was recently photographed packing on some serious PDA with her new boyfriend and chef Emilio Vitolo Jr, according to Daily Mail. The two were spotted at his father's popular Nolita restaurant, Emilio's Ballato, which is frequently visited by a slew of stars including Whoopi Goldberg, Bradley Cooper, Justin Bieber, Joe Jonas and Barack Obama.
The duo was seen at the restaurant passionately kissing each other while the chef's father sat nearby, proving that she's already well acquainted with the family. Holmes looked chic while hanging out with the 33-year-old restaurateur. For the romantic outing, Katie was dressed casually in light blue jeans and a tight-fitted grey top while Vitolo Jr donned a pair of dark jeans and a navy shirt.
On September 6, the 41-year-old actor was spotted sitting on the 33-year-old chef's lap as they dined at Peasant Restaurant in Manhattan, reported E! News. The two were seen passionately locking lips at their table. However, this isn’t the first time that the pair was spotted spending time with each other. Holmes and Vitolo Jr first sparked romance rumors on September 4 during a dinner date at a SoHo eatery. During this outing, Holmes was spotted interacting with the chef at the New York City restaurant Antique Garage. They didn't pack on the PDA, instead, they causally chatted and exchanged jokes.
However, before dating Holmes, Vitolo Jr was engaged to designer Rachel Emmons. A source told InTouch Weekly that the two "broke off their engagement very recently" because Vitolo Jr is "focusing on his restaurant." The duo was last spotted together on August 23, reported E! News. According to the publication, Vitolo was in a committed relationship with the designer of the Anna Rachel Studio. Apparently, Rachel had shared a photo of herself in a jean jacket with the words "Mrs Vitolo" painted on the back. Moreover, she captioned that post: "Future Mrs". However, the two never made an official engagement announcement.
Following his recent split from his ex-fiancé and being spotted with Holmes, Vitolo Jr has been branded a "cheater". According to Daily Mail, the chef dumped his fiancée via text after pictures emerged of him canoodling with Holmes. According to the publication, the photos that surfaced online have been painful for Emmons, who once described Vitolo as "her world".
A friend of Emmons called Vitolo Jr a cheater and said, "Up to this press coming out Rachel had no idea what was going on. He is a cheater, and this isn't a 'happy ending'' story." The friend, who asked not to be named, said the designer had "devoted her life" to the chef and "the couple not only lived together but had shared a puppy together since last May."
According to the friend, Emmons believed that she was getting married to Vitolo Jr until his romance with Holmes ended their relationship. The friend said, "They had concrete wedding plans in the works… now she is just left with bad press and forced to move home." The friend also revealed that Holmes and Vitolo's relationship has left Emmons "traumatized". Daily Mail revealed that Vitolo Jr texted Emmons the day the pictures of him with Holmes were published.
Before their split, Emmons' Instagram was a far more personal affair filled with sweet pictures of her and Vitolo Jr together. Emmons had been dating Vitolo Jr for more than two years and the couple announced their engagement unofficially on Instagram last year. In the post, Vitolo and Emmons could be seen looking lovingly into each other's eyes in a pose that reveals Emmons’ engagement ring and is captioned, "My number one. Future husband and love of my life."
On the other hand, Holmes was previously in a relationship with Jamie Foxx for five years. The pair was rumored to be dating since 2013, but only confirmed their relationship in September 2019. Soon after, news of their split surfaced and according to Radar Online, the two even called off their wedding. It is believed that it was trust issues that caused the split.