Unable to cope with her husband’s watchful eye, the actress plans to flee their family home in Los Angeles to take up the offer of a role on Broadway.

However, the potential move is causing tension with Tom over their daughter Suri, and who she will stay with during the trial separation.

An insider tells Star: "She desperately needs to be on her own for a while, but there's no way Tom is going to let her take Suri away. There's no way he'll allow it.

“He just doesn't want Katie, or Suri, out of his sight for long. He told her that if she goes to New York, fine, but he goes with her."

To add to the drama, Tom is reportedly taking the role of both mommy and daddy to the tiny tot.

The source adds: "Tom wants to call all the shots when it comes to Suri. He has a lot of rules, and there's conflict."