CNN
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Inside a 12 months of calling off his final marriage ceremony, nonagenarian billionaire Rupert Murdoch has popped the query to a different accomplice, months after they began courting.
The previous Information Corp chairman’s media consultant confirmed the information to CNN on Friday, simply days earlier than the billionaire’s 93rd birthday subsequent Monday.
It’s the second time Murdoch has been engaged in a 12 months. Final March, the media titan introduced plans to marry Ann Lesley Smith, a former dental hygienist and conservative radio host. However the marriage ceremony was called off weeks later.
This time, Murdoch will wed Elena Zhukova, a 67-year-old retired molecular biologist, in response to The New York Instances, which first reported the upcoming nuptials.
Murdoch and Zhukova reportedly began courting in the summertime and plan to marry at Moraga Bel Air, Murdoch’s luxurious winery and property in California.
Photos of the couple collectively have been printed in current months on information websites. Zhukova is the mom of Russian American artwork collector Dasha Zhukova, the previous spouse of Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.
Murdoch was not too long ago listed as #280 on Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index, with a web value of $9 billion.
He stepped down as chairman of Information Company, the print publishing arm of his media empire, final November, handing management of the enterprise to his eldest son, Lachlan.
On the time, Murdoch mentioned he would proceed an “lively function” within the firm, adopting the title of chairman emeritus of Fox Company, the dad or mum firm of Fox Information and different broadcasting belongings.
Murdoch was beforehand married to former flight attendant Patricia Booker, journalist Anna Murdoch and entrepreneur Wendi Deng, who reportedly launched him to Zhukova.
He married his fourth spouse, former mannequin Jerry Corridor, in 2016. Their divorce was finalized in August 2022.
It’s unclear why Murdoch’s final engagement was referred to as off.
On the time, he said of the proposal to Smith: “I used to be very nervous … “I dreaded falling in love – however I knew this may be my final. It higher be. I’m blissful.”
Murdoch’s workplace didn’t reply to a request for additional data on the timing and site of his upcoming marriage ceremony.