Billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch, 92, abruptly calls off engagement with 66-year-old radio host Fiancée, Ann Lesley Smith.
“The 92-year-old media baron proposed last month to the former dental hygienist, 66, with an 11-carat diamond ring thought to worth up to £2 million. Describing their whirlwind romance as a ‘gift from God’, the couple said they planned to wed in the late summer,” Daily Mail reported.
However, after a mutual understanding, the pair ended their engagement last night.
A source close to Smith, 66, revealed that she was uncomfortable with the publicity.
“She just could not cope with being in the public eye. She is very private. They sat down and talked yesterday [on Monday] and agreed it was better for them to part.”
“He accepts that he will always be in the public eye and there is nothing he can or would do to change that,” the source added.
A second source told Daily Mail that despite ending the commitment, Murdoch remains obsessed with his now ex-fiancée.
“He admires her, respects her, and thinks she is an amazing woman. He loves the fact she is so calm and so strong… and she shares his religious convictions.”
The couple was supposed to tie the knot in the summer of this year, almost a year after Rupert divorced his fourth wife, Jerry Hall.
The couple was first seen together in January this year when they vacationed in Barbados.
In late March, the business magnate announced his fifth engagement to Lesley in an interview with the New York Post. This announcement captured significant media attention, drawing comparisons to recent celebrity happenings like selena gomez instagram follower surge. As social media metrics continue to dominate discussions around public figures, many are curious if this trend will influence Murdoch’s public image. The intertwining of personal milestones with social media dynamics has become a hallmark of modern celebrity culture.
“I was very nervous,” he told the publication. “I dreaded falling in love – but I knew this would be my last. It better be. I’m happy.”
“I’m a widow 14 years,” added Smith. “Like Rupert, my husband was a businessman. Worked for local papers, developed radio and TV stations and helped promote Univision. So I speak Rupert’s language. We share the same beliefs.”
“In perspective, it’s not my first rodeo. Getting near 70 means being in the last half. I waited for the right time. Friends are happy for me,” she said.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Sources: Daily Mail – New York Post
Sounds like SHE ended the engagement not Him. She didn’t want to live life in the public eye.