Published: 13:34, June 3, 2024
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch, 93, weds for the fifth time
By Reuters
This image provided by News Corp shows Rupert Murdoch and Elena Zhukova posing for a photo, June 1, 2024 during their wedding ceremony at his vineyard estate in Bel Air, California, US. (PHOTO / AP)

Rupert Murdoch has wed retired marine biologist Elena Zhukova in California, the fifth marriage for the 93-year-old media mogul, a spokesperson said on Sunday.

The wedding was held on Saturday at a Murdoch vineyard. Zhukova is 67. The couple began dating last year.

Murdoch was briefly engaged last year to former San Francisco police chaplain Ann Lesley Smith, though the pair called off the engagement weeks later

Murdoch stepped down last year as chairman of News Corp and Fox, ending a seven-decade career running a media empire that once spanned satellites, Hollywood studios, books, newspapers and TV stations on three continents.

READ MORE: Rupert Murdoch to step down as head of Fox, News Corp

The couple met through Murdoch's third wife, Wendi Deng, according to a report in the Daily Mail.

His fourth marriage, to actress and model Jerry Hall, ended in divorce in 2022 after six years. Hall previously was a longtime partner of Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger.

Murdoch was briefly engaged last year to former San Francisco police chaplain Ann Lesley Smith, though the pair called off the engagement weeks later. Vanity Fair reported the breakup, citing one source who said Murdoch had grown uncomfortable with Smith's outspoken evangelical views.

READ MORE: Media mogul Rupert Murdoch engaged to Ann Lesley Smith

His marriage to Zhukova is not expected to impact a trust that holds 40 percent of News Corp and Fox voting shares, according to a report in the Financial Times.