Rupert Murdoch is single once more. A source close to the 92-year-old News Corp businessman and Ann Lesley Smith confirmed to ET that their engagement is off.
The news comes just weeks after the New York Post reported that Murdoch popped the question to the 66-year-old former San Francisco police chaplain, whom he planned to marry in late summer 2023.
“I was very nervous. I dreaded falling in love — but I knew this would be my last. It better be. I’m happy,” he told the outlet at the time. “We’re both looking forward to spending the second half of our lives together.”
“I’m a widow of 14 years,” Smith added. “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 divorced his fourth wife, Jerry Hall, last summer. He has six children, one from his first wife, Patricia Booker, three from his second wife, Anna Maria Torv, and two from his third wife, Wendi Deng.
MORE FROM ET:
Rupert Murdoch Engaged for 5th Time After Jerry Hall Divorce
Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall Finalize Divorce
Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall Are Divorcing After 6 Years of Marriage
Click to View Gallery Celebrity Couples Who Split In 2023