Reports indicate that media mogul Rupert Murdoch and former police chaplain Ann Lesley Smith abruptly called off their engagement weeks after announcing it.
A source close to Mr. Murdoch, 92, told Vanity Fair that he had become uncomfortable with Ms. Smith’s 66-year-old loud evangelical views.
Mr. Murdoch, who divorced his fourth wife Jerry Hall in 2022, has not yet responded.
Yet, his engagement with Ms. Smith was only publicized last month.
The two met in September at an event held at his California property.
In March, the businessman told one of his publications, the New York Post:
“I hated falling in love, but I knew this would be my final experience. It better be. I’m happy.”
Mr. Murdoch, an Australian-born American tycoon, added that he proposed to Ms. Smith on St. Patrick’s Day (17 March), remarking that he was “one-fourth Irish” and “quite scared.”
Chester Smith, the late husband of Ms. Smith, was a country singer and television mogul.
“For both of us, it is a gift from God. We met last September, “She told the New York Post following the announcement of the engagement.
“I have been a widow for fourteen years. My husband, like Rupert, was a businessman, so I speak Rupert’s language. We hold the same beliefs.”
Rupert Murdoch, who has six children from his first three marriages, stated at the time,
“We’re both excited to spend the second half of our lives together.”
The wedding was scheduled for late summer, and the pair intended to divide their time between California, Montana, New York, and the United Kingdom.
Mr. Murdoch was previously married to flight attendant Patricia Booker, writer Anna Mann, and businesswoman Wendi Deng.
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