Just a year after Rupert Murdoch made headlines by announcing his fifth engagement to the world, only to later surprise everyone with a dramatic change of heart regarding his marriage plans, the media tycoon is once again sparking speculation as he reveals his sixth engagement.
Mere days shy of his 93rd birthday, it seems that wedding bells are once again in the offing as he places the bling on the ring finger of retired scientist, Elena Zhukova.
According to sources close to the engagement, the wedding will take place at Murdoch’s California estate, Moraga.
The couple reportedly began dating after they met through Murdoch’s third wife, Wendi Deng
Having lived a long and extremely successful life, it seems the one thing Murdoch hasn’t quite nailed is his love life.
Murdoch met his 5th bride-to-be just one month after settling his divorce from ex-fourth wife supermodel, Jerry Hall, in August 2022.
About his 5th engagement to Ann Lesley-Smith he said, “I was very nervous. I dreaded falling in love — but I knew this would be my last,” he told The New York Post, his own paper.
“It better be. I’m happy.”
But it was not meant to be and the couple never got to walk down the aisle after they came to mutual decision not to proceed with their engagement.
A source close to Smith at the time told The Daily Mail that Smith found it difficult to deal with the newfound publicity she had been receiving.
“She just could not cope with being in the public eye. She is very private,” the friend said.
“They sat down and talked yesterday [on Monday] and agreed it was better for them to part.”
Murdoch has been married four times. He first tied the knot with Patricia Booker in 1956, and they divorced in 1967. His second marriage was to Anna Maria Torv in 1967, and they divorced in 1999. His third marriage was to Wendi Deng Murdoch in 1999, and they divorced in 2013.
Murdoch finally married Jerry Hall in 2016 but after six years of marriage Hall filed to officially separate from Murdoch on July 4 2022, citing “irreconcilable differences” as her reason for wanting to end their marriage.
It is understood that Hall had reportedly employed aggressive tactics in a bid to get the divorce proceedings moving which included hiring a former Metropolitan Police anti-terrorism officer to serve Murdoch with legal papers moments before he boarded his private jet following his granddaughter’s wedding.
It’s believed Hall’s decision to use such tactics was in response to how “devastated” she was by her marital breakdown after the media tycoon had allegedly ended their marriage via an email Hall had received while waiting for his return to the UK.
With yet another engagement now afoot it will be interesting to see if this is Murdoch’s final foray into marriage.