Rupert Murdoch is aiming for luck number five. Recently, News Corp’s 92-year-old executive chairman announced his engagement to Ann Lesley Smith. Murdoch will walk down the aisle for the fifth time.
Murdoch originally made the information public in an interview with rumour writer Cindy Adams for his tabloid, the New York Post. He claimed to have proposed to his future wife in New York on St. Patrick’s Day.
Who is Ann Lesley Smith?
In addition to being a model and performer, Smith, 66, started her career as a dental hygienist.
She instantly became a multimillionaire socialite after getting married to affluent lawyer John B. Huntington in her first marriage. She told the Christian Broadcast Network that the emotionally abusive relationship ended horribly and that she almost lost everything because of a prenuptial agreement.
She had a much happier second marriage with country music icon Chester Smith, which lasted until his heart attack-related death in 2008. Together, the two created an album.
Smith was a radio and television executive, just like Murdoch. The largest station-owned privately-owned broadcast firm was formed by him and is called Sainte Television Group. 2008 saw his passing.
She joined the San Francisco Police Department as a police chaplain after the passing of her spouse.
How did they meet?
A few years ago, Murdoch and Smith met at a party he gave at his winery Moraga in Bel Air, California. She and her husband were acquainted with the Murdochs and worked in the wine industry.
I met her last year when there were 200 guests visiting my vineyard, and we had a brief conversation. I phoned her two weeks later, Murdoch said.
A few months after Murdoch and his ex-wife, Jerry Hall, divorced, the duo made their relationship public.
