Wedding bells are no longer ringing for Rupert Murdoch, 92. They have been silent before starting to ring.
After announcing a couple of weeks ago that this summer he would celebrate his fifth nuptials, and that the chosen one was Ann Lesley Smith, 66, the US media reported on Tuesday that the communication magnate has thought better of it and has started back.
The exclusive of their next wedding, which was to be held in the summer, was given to great fanfare by the New York Post, the tabloid that will form part of its long list of properties, including The Wall Street Journal and the Fox network. The scoop went around the world
The breaking of the engagement, which has also had a great impact, was advanced by Vanity Fair. This magazine, which described the resignation as "abrupt", noted that a Murdoch spokesman declined to comment on the matter. In any case, confirmation of its veracity could be certified in the New York Post: not a word on the subject, not a response to what was published.
“The breakup ends a whirlwind romance,” Vanity Fair noted. The two met last September In January they were photographed together on vacation in Barbados. In mid-March the wedding was announced. Within days, Murdoch presented her with an eleven-carat engagement diamond, valued at $2.5 million. "I'm very happy," the tycoon told his tabloid.
However, this new marriage was not well received in his family, who was going to celebrate it barely a year after divorcing actress and model Jerry Hall. According to the aforementioned magazine, the scrutiny of Ann Lesley, widow since 2008 of Chester Smith, country singer and businessman, revealed things that scared her boyfriend. Among other things, he found himself increasingly uncomfortable with her fiancée's religious considerations.
Not long ago, Murdoch said that "we are both looking forward to spending the second half of our lives together." Do the words are gone with the wind.
