It was at the end of March that media mogul Rupert Murdoch proposed to dental hygienist Ann Lesley Smith, with a large diamond ring worth SEK 25 million, writes the Daily Mail.
But the bliss of love did not last long as the couple already on Monday came to the conclusion that they no longer want to marry each other and thus broke off the engagement.
A friend of the couple tells the newspaper that Ann Lesley Smith was not ready for the publicity.
– She simply couldn’t cope with being in the public eye. She is very private, says the friend.
When it comes to Murdoch, the thinking goes differently.
– He accepts that he will always sow before public opinion and that he cannot do anything to change that.
“An amazing woman”
It was during a wine tasting in California last fall that Rupert Murdoch and Ann Lesley Smith saw each other for the first time – and according to the Daily Mail, it didn’t take long before Murdoch asked for a second date.
However, the fact that the couple now choose to go their separate ways does not mean that there has been any bad blood between them, another friend told the newspaper.
– He admires and respects her, and thinks she is a fantastic woman. He loves the fact that she is so calm, strong and that she shares his religious beliefs, another friend of the couple told the newspaper.
