'She couldn't cope with being in the public eye': Rupert Murdoch and his fifth fiancée call off engagement after two weeks
5 April 2023, 02:44
Rupert Murdoch and his fifth fiancée have called off their engagement just two weeks after announcing it.
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The 92-year-old media baron proposed to former dental hygienist Ann Lesley Smith last month with an 11-carat diamond ring thought to be worth around £2 million.
The pair said at the time that their relationship was a "gift from God" and that they planned to tie the knot in late summer.
But the romance came to an abrupt end last night as they made the "mutual decision" to call off their big day.
Read more: 'Heartbroken' Jerry Hall files for divorce from Rupert Murdoch
A friend close to the couple said Ms Smith struggled with the publicity.
"She just could not cope with being in the public eye. She is very private," they said, according to MailOnline.
"They sat down and talked yesterday [on Monday] and agreed it was better for them to part.
"He accepts that he will always be in the public eye and there is nothing he can or would do to change that."
Another friend told the publication that the media mogul remained fond of Ms Smith despite the split.
Mr Murdoch proposed to Ms Smith on March 17, with the couple publicly announcing their engagement three days later.
The cancelled wedding would have been Mr Murdoch's fifth, having split suddenly from supermodel Jerry Hall in July last year.
Before that he was married to media executive Wendi Deng, journalist Anna Torv and flight attendant Patricia Booker.
