Rupert Murdoch, the 92-year-old media mogul, is rumoured to have entered into a new relationship with retired scientist Elena Zhukova, months after abruptly calling off his engagement with Ann Lesley Smith, Independent reported.
Rumours of their relationship surfaced when the couple was spotted enjoying a vacation onboard a yacht, according to the news website Drudge Report. A source told the website that Mr. Murdoch has "got the energy of people half his age," adding, "He just might be in love again."
The couple was reportedly introduced to each other by Rupert Murdoch's third wife Wendi Deng.
Notably, 66-year-old Elena Zhukova was a molecular biologist and worked at the medical research unit at the University of California, Los Angeles, before retiring. She is the mother of Dasha Zhukova, an art collector and socialite who was married to ex-Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich from 2008 to 2017, as per the Telegraph.
The report of their relationship comes mere months after Mr. Murdoch called off his wedding to ex-police chaplain Ann Lesley Smith just two weeks after he proposed. Citing the reason, Vanity Fair reported one source saying Mr. Murdoch had become uncomfortable about 66-year-old Ms. Smith's evangelical views.
The ceremony had been planned for summer, a year after his divorce from his fourth wife, model, and actor Jerry Hall.
The media mogul has six children from his first three marriages. He was married to Ms. Hall for six years. Prior to that, he was married to Wendi Deng from 1999 to 2013; Anna Maria Torv from 1967 to 1999; and Patricia Booker from 1956 to 1967.
According to Forbes, the Chairman and CEO of News Corp. is believed to have a fortune of around $17 billion. His empire includes Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, and a string of other media assets around the world.
