Rupert Murdoch Engaged to Ann Lesley Smith Less Than a Year After Jerry Hall Breakup
Rupert Murdoch has news of his own to share: He's set to walk down the aisle again.
Seven months after finalizing his divorce from ex-wife Jerry Hall, the billionaire, 92, announced he is engaged to former San Francisco police chaplain Ann Lesley Smith, 66. As Rupert—who proposed on St. Patrick's Day—noted, he was "very nervous" to pop the question to his now-fiancée.
"I dreaded falling in love—but I knew this would be my last," Rupert, who has previously been married four times, told the New York Post. "It better be. I'm happy."
As Ann explained, they came into each other's lives at the perfect moment.
"I'm a widow 14 years," she told the publication, which is owned by Rupert's company News Corporation. "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."
When it comes to the couple's future, which will include a wedding this summer, Rupert noted they couldn't be happier, adding, "We're both looking forward to spending the second half of our lives together."
In June 2022, the media mogul and Jerry called it quits after six years of marriage. The pair finalized their divorce just two months later, their attorneys previously confirmed to the Los Angeles Times.
Rupert's first trip down the aisle was when he wed Patricia Booker, with whom he shares daughter Prudence, with the two splitting nine years later. Additionally, he is also dad to kids Elizabeth, James and Lachlan, with his second wife Anna Murdoch. (They divorced in 1999 after 32 years of marriage.)
Later that year, Rupert tied the knot for the third time, marrying Wendi Murdoch. The two, who share daughters Chloe and Grace, split in 2013 after nearly 14 years of marriage.
