Media mogul Rupert Murdoch and former model Ann Lesley Smith have called off their engagement after less than a month. The two had announced their plans to get married in early January, but sources say that they decided to end their relationship after realizing that they were not compatible. This news has come as a surprise to many, as Murdoch and Smith seemed to be happy together when they made their public debut as a couple at the Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles. Let’s take a closer look at the split and what may have led to it.
Rupert Murdoch, the renowned media tycoon, has reportedly called off his engagement to Ann Lesley Smith, a former police chaplain from San Francisco. The couple had planned to get married this summer, which would have been Murdoch’s fifth marriage. Murdoch is 92 years old while Smith is 66, who he met last September at his vineyard Moraga in Bel Air, California, before proposing on St. Patrick’s Day last month in New York with an Asscher-cut diamond solitaire engagement ring that he personally selected.
The news of the couple’s split was reported by Vanity Fair, citing a source close to Murdoch. The source claimed that Murdoch had become uncomfortable with Smith’s outspoken evangelical views. Murdoch himself has not confirmed or denied the claims made by the publication.
This is not the first time that Murdoch has been in the news for his personal relationships. In fact, his love life has been the subject of public interest for many years. His fourth marriage to Jerry Hall ended in divorce just last August, after six years of marriage. Before that, he was married to entrepreneur Wendi Deng, the mother of two of his children, until their divorce in 2013.
His second wife was Scottish journalist Anna Murdoch Mann, with whom he shares three children. They were married from 1967 until 1999, when they divorced. Murdoch’s first wife was Patricia Booker, a former flight attendant, with whom he had a daughter before their divorce in 1966.
Despite having been married multiple times, Murdoch always maintained that his latest engagement would be his last. He even said so publicly, indicating that he was nervous about falling in love again but knew that Smith was the one. “It better be. I’m happy,” Murdoch told the New York Post, which initially broke the news of the engagement.
The couple had reportedly planned to split their time between California, the UK, Montana, and New York, but the wedding has now been called off. It is unclear what the future holds for either of them, but one can only hope that they both find happiness in their own respective lives.
Murdoch is the chairman of Fox Corp, and his media empire spans across the globe. He is considered one of the most influential figures in the media world, with a net worth of over $22 billion as of 2021. His business ventures include News Corp, which owns several media outlets, including The Times and The Sun in the UK, The Wall Street Journal in the US, and The Australian in Australia, among others.
Despite his enormous success in the media industry, Murdoch’s personal life has often overshadowed his professional achievements. His tumultuous personal relationships have been a source of constant speculation and scrutiny in the media, with some questioning the validity of his latest engagement to Smith. Whatever the truth may be, it is clear that Murdoch’s personal life is just as much a topic of interest as his business dealings.
In concluding, Rupert Murdoch and Ann Lesley Smith may have called off their engagement after less than a month, but it serves as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of love and relationships. As the saying goes, sometimes things just don’t work out, and that’s okay. Both parties seem to be moving forward with grace and respect for one another. Whether this was a case of cold feet or simply not the right match, we can only wish them the best in their future endeavors.
