Rupert Murdoch hopes fifth time is a stroke of luck.
The 92-year-old Information Corp Government Chairman just lately introduced his engagement to Ann Lesley Smith. That is the fifth time Murdoch has strolled down the aisle.
Rupert Murdoch acquired engaged to Ann Lesley Smith https://t.co/qGLE1Om9q9 pic.twitter.com/9qwIJpkche
— New York Submit (@nypost) March 20, 2023
Murdoch first went public with the information in an interview with gossip columnist Cindy Adams within the New York Submit, a tabloid he owns. He mentioned he popped the query to his bride-to-be on St. Patrick’s Day in New York.
“I used to be very nervous. I used to be afraid of falling in love – however I knew this may be my final. It is higher this fashion. I am glad,” he mentioned.
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Who’s Ann Lesley Smith?
Smith, 66, started her profession as a dental hygienist and has additionally been a mannequin and singer.
Her first marriage, to rich lawyer John B. Huntington, made her an in a single day multi-millionaire. However the emotionally abusive relationship ended badly and she or he misplaced virtually every thing — due to a prenup, she advised the Christian Broadcast Community.
Her second marriage, to nation music star Chester Smith, was a lot smoother till he died of a coronary heart assault in 2008. The 2 recorded an album collectively.
Like Murdoch, Smith was additionally a radio and tv govt. He based the Sainte Tv Group, the biggest personal broadcasting firm with stations. He died in 2008.
“I have been a widow for 14 years,” Smith mentioned. “My husband was a businessman… so I communicate Rupert’s language. We share the identical beliefs,” she mentioned.
After her husband’s dying, Smith turned a police chaplain for the San Francisco Police Division.
“Once I make my calls and take care of people who find themselves in plenty of ache, I say, ‘I have been right here. I used to be right here and you may get out.’ It offers them hope,” she mentioned.
They met at a celebration
Murdoch and Smith first met at a bash Murdoch hosted a number of years in the past at his Moraga vineyard in Bel Air, California. She and her husband have been additionally within the wine enterprise and knew the Murdochs.
Final yr when there have been 200 folks in my winery, I met them and we chatted a bit. I known as her two weeks later,” Murdoch defined.
The couple went public with their romance a number of months after Murdoch and his former spouse Jerry Corridor finalized their divorce.
In response to Adams, they plan to bind the data by the top of the summer time.
“It is not my first rodeo. Being near 70 means I am within the final half. I used to be ready for the fitting time,” Smith mentioned.
Murdoch appears equally delighted. “We each look ahead to spending the second half of our lives collectively,” he mentioned.