Rupert Murdoch and Ann Lesley Smith have reportedly called off their engagement.
The 92-year-old media baron proposed to the former dental hygienist, 66, with an 11-carat diamond ring believed to worth up to £2 million (about R44m) last month, but a report on Tuesday said their marriage plans were now off.
A friend close to the couple told the “Daily Mail” that Smith had struggled with the idea of spending her life in the spotlight like Murdoch: “She just could not cope with being in the public eye.
“She is very private. They sat down and talked yesterday 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 insider told the publication the split was amicable and that Murdoch still adored Smith: “He admires her, respects her and thinks she is an amazing woman.
“He loves the fact she is so calm and so strong … and she shares his religious convictions.”
Murdoch proposed to Smith last month, but their engagement was reportedly abruptly called off on Tuesday after they apparently came to the “mutual decision” to split.
The couple had described their romance as a “gift from God” and the marriage would have been Smith’s third time down the aisle and Murdoch’s fifth.
Murdoch, said to be worth $17 billion, told his newspaper the “New York Post” about their relationship: “I was very nervous. I dreaded falling in love – but I knew this would be my last.
“It better be. I’m happy.”
Breaking the news just seven months after his divorce from fourth wife Jerry Hall, 66, the media titan said he and his fiancée were looking forward to “spending the second half of our lives together”.
Smith was introduced to Murdoch in September 2022 at a wine event at his Moraga vineyard in California. He waited a fortnight before asking to see her again.