Rupert Murdoch, the media mogul, is going to marry for the sixth time. The 92-year-old told the New York Post, one of the media empire’s properties, that he had proposed to Ann Lesley Smith and will marry her this summer. The 92-year-old informed Cindy Adams, a gossip writer, that he met Ann in September when visiting his vineyard in Bel Air, California. Murdoch stated that he “feared falling in love” again because his past four marriages ended in public divorces. Yet, he admits that this will be his “final” marriage.
As news of Murdoch’s engagement leaked, everyone wanted to know more about his lady love, who managed to persuade him to marry once again. Ann Lesley Smith is a former police chaplain who was previously married to country music legend Chester Smith. She is a journalist, as well as a former dental hygienist, model, and vocalist. The 66-year-old was widowed in 2008 after her spouse died of a heart attack at the age of 78. Ann’s love life included ups and downs prior to her marriage to Smith, including an abusive marriage.
Ann Lesley Smith was previously married to John B. Huntington, an attorney, and member of one of California’s most prominent families
Ann Lesley Smith was previously married to John B. Huntington, an attorney, and member of one of California’s most prominent families, who pioneered the country’s railroad. Her life altered, as she went from being a dental hygienist to living with a “royalty” family. Ann Lesley was just 28 years old when she married John, who was 47.
An Idaho State University graduate, she admitted to spending $65,000 a month on just clothes as Huntington’s wife. “During the day my life was just so fun. John was into cars, and we had a stable full of every kind – exotic Ferraris and everything,” Ann Lesley told The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN).
She was shopping, riding horses, doing charity work, and modeling for leading designers. Yet, she once stated that while things were great during the day, John “become a different person” at night after drinking.
Talking of her relationship with John, Ann once told CBN that he often turned physically abusive towards her. Ann opened up about his drinking problems and how that unleashed a rage inside him. “He physically abused me, mentally abused me,” Ann told the publication. The marriage ended in divorce, leaving Ann Lesley with fresh troubles as a result of the prenuptial agreement. She was homeless, living on benefits, and had considered suicide. “I genuinely wanted to commit suicide since my life was so miserable,” she explained.
She subsequently began working odd jobs while continuing to work as a model
She subsequently began working odd jobs while continuing to work as a model. When an event coordinator witnessed her struggle, he informed her that Jesus could help her. She began reading “The Four Spiritual Laws” and did all it said. She then became a volunteer police chaplain and met her husband, Chester Smith, who was raised in a Christian home. In 1963, he established the first country music radio station in the Modesto area of California. Ann Lesley later became a radio broadcaster and apparently had an excellent marriage with Smith. “Captured By Love,” their joint album, was also released.
She remained in Modesto after his death and now lives on her property in northern California. Ann Lesley was characterized as Chester’s “beloved wife” in his obituary. In the San Francisco Bay Area, she worked as a radio broadcaster and journalist. She even paid for her own iHeartRadio spot on Power Talk 1360. Murdoch and Ann Lesley met in September at Murdoch’s Moraga vineyard in Bel Air, California. The bond is “a gift from God,” she says.
Murdoch was spotted with Ann Lesley in Barbados in January
“I’m a widow for 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,” she shared. The two plan on getting married this year during the summer and Murdoch hopes this is his last. Murdoch, who is “one-fourth Irish”, proposed to Ann Lesley on St. Patrick’s Day in New York with an Asscher-cut diamond solitaire. “In perspective, it’s not my first rodeo. Getting near 70 means being in the last half. I waited for the right time. Friends are happy for me.”
Even though the two have only recently made their romance public, there has long been suspicion that they were dating. Murdoch was spotted with Ann Lesley in Barbados in January. Murdoch married flight attendant Patricia Booker in 1956, and the couple divorced in 1967. He later married journalist Anna Maria Torv and was married to her for over three decades till they divorced in 1999. He then married Chinese-born American entrepreneur Wendi Deng in the same year. The marriage lasted 14 years. Murdoch’s last partner was an American model and actress Jerry Hall, who he married in 2016. The couple divorced in August previous year.