It is never too late. That's what Rupert Murdoch seems to want to prove at the age of 92. On March 17 in New York, he got engaged to Ann Lesley Smith, 66.
Despite being his fifth marriage, the businessman was "nervous" about asking his now-fiancée for her hand, he admitted in an interview with the New York Post. "I was very nervous. I dreaded falling in love — but I knew this would be my last. It better be. I’m happy," he explained this Monday.
Murdoch began his media empire more than 70 years ago in Australia, running the family-owned News Limited. In the United States, he is best known for founding Fox News in 1996 and then the entire media ecosystem under News Corporation, including the newspaper where he reported his upcoming marriage next summer.
Smith has also walked down the aisle before. She was married twice, most recently to businessman and country singer Chester Smith, who died of a heart attack in 2008.
I’m a widow 14 years. 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.
Murdoch will return to married life just nine months after divorcing his wife of six years, Jerry Hall. The separation filled the press with headlines for events such as: announcing he wanted a divorce via email, his children pushing him to leave her after arguing over the inheritance, and Hall receiving millions of dollars and an Oxfordshire mansion.
All that, however, is behind Murdoch, who is now only thinking about his future with Smith. In his words:
We are both looking forward to spending the second half of our lives together.
