He is not done yet! Billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch has just revealed he is going in for another marriage — his fifth! Marriage announcements about the soon-to-be couple comes just six months after they first met.
He Popped The Question
Speaking with the New York Post on Monday morning, the 92-year-old billionaire announced he popped the question to Ann Lesley Smith — ex-wife to the late famous musician Chester Smith.
His Choice Ring
The media baron also shared with the outlet the ring he chose to propose with. Based on what was revealed, the billionaire mogul proposed with an Asscher-cut diamond solitaire ring — claiming to have personally selected it.
Nervous Lover
The Australian-born American businessman revealed that he was nervous about proposing to Smith. He also stated that he “dreaded falling in love” again.
Last, Maybe
Stating confidently to the outlet, Murdoch confessed that his upcoming marriage to Ann Lesley Smith would be his last. In his words, “I knew this would be my last. It better be. I’m happy.”
It Happened In New York City
The Fox News Founder stated that he asked his bride-to-be to marry him in the city that never sleeps, New York, on St. Pat’s Day. He adds while joking, “I’m one-fourth Irish.”
Meeting Ann Lesley Smith
Recounting how he and Smith met, the billionaire stated it was at his Moraga Vineyard in Bel Air, California, last September. He says, “She and her husband also owned a vineyard and had been in the wine business. Last year when there was 200 people at my vineyard, I met her, and we talked a bit. Two weeks later, I called her.”
God’s Gift
When asked how she felt about the proposal and the forthcoming wedding, Ann Lesley Smith admitted that she was happy — describing her relationship with Murdoch as “a gift from God.”
Speaking The Same Language
Smith also added that she and her husband-to-be share similar beliefs and speak the same language. In her words, “I’m a widow 14 years. 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.”
It’s The Right Time
Smith, who hasn’t been in a public relationship since her marriage to Chester Smith, said she’s happy she waited for the right time. “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.”
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The Perfect Dress Search
The husband-to-be, Rupert Murdoch, is also excited about the forthcoming union, saying, “We’re both looking forward to spending the second half of our lives together.” He then talks about how his personal shoppers are already searching the world for the right wedding dress for Smith.
Murdoch’s Ex-Wives
The 92-year-old businessman began his walk down the aisle in 1956 with his first wife, Patricia Booker. Their union ended in 1967, and he tied the knot the same year to his second wife, Anna Mann, till their divorce in 1999.
17 days after his divorce from Anna, he married Wendi Deng — their marriage lasted 14 years. By 2016, he married Jerry Hall after a rapid romance, sadly that also ended abruptly last year.
Anna’s $1.7 Billion Settlement
After all divorced settlements had been reached between Murdoch and Anna in their 32-years-long relationship, she was reportedly awarded record-breaking figures. CNBC reports that the paid settlement is estimated at $1.7 billion and $10 million in cash.
Six Children
The aged billionaire is a father to six children from three ex-wives. He shares 64-year-old daughter Prudence MacLeod with Patricia; 53-year-old daughter Elizabeth, 50-year-old son Lachlan, 49-year-old son James with Anna; 21-year-old daughter Grace and 19-year-old daughter Chloe with his third wife, Wendi.
Controversial Last Marriage
Murdoch’s most recent failed marriage to Jerry Hall was filled with controversies, especially after the 66-year-old supermodel tried to cancel the divorce process. Details about the divorce reveal that Rupert Murdoch ended the union with Hall over an email he sent to her.
Settlement details about their union have not been made public but it is expected to be one of the most expensive in the world.
Smith’s Past
Ann Lesley Smith hasn’t had the most successful marriage, especially with John B. Huntington. The bride-to-be was married to Chester Smith before he passed away in 2008 at 78. Before that union, Smith recounts her marriage to Huntington as golden on the outside but miserable on the inside.
Abuse With Huntington
The former police chaplain, Ann Lesley Smith, revealed to the Christian Broadcasting Network that her marriage to Huntington was filled with mental and physical abuses.
After His Drinking
She further stated that Huntington, at some point, would lock her out of the house to punish her. “When John started drinking, he became a different person. He would lock me out of the house. He physically abused me, mentally abused me, emotionally… which is worse than physical because you start to believe the lies.”
Suicide Attempts
After the marriage ended, everything wasn’t as rosy as Smith expected. Smith shared with CBN that she contemplated suicide. In her words, “I really wanted to commit suicide because my life was so bad. Everything was just too much. I was thinking that if I drive my car real fast into someone else, then I’d end it. Well, I was driving recklessly. I wanted it to happen, [but] it didn’t.”
She Met God
Thankfully she did not. Smith explained that she turned to religion and was given a book, The Four Spiritual Laws , that helped her. She said, “As I began to walk with God, the things of the world just seemed pointless to me.”
