NEW YORK : Rupert Murdoch, the media mogul who retired from the boards of Fox and News Corporation last year, tied the knot for the fifth time on Saturday with Elena Zhukova at his Moraga vineyard estate in Bel Air, Los Angeles, The New York Times (NYT) reported.
Under a clear sky, Murdoch, 93, and Zhukova, 67, exchanged vows in an outdoor ceremony. Zhukova, carrying a bouquet of white flowers, wore a stunning ankle-length, off-the-shoulder white dress reportedly designed by Emilia Wickstead, while Murdoch opted for a dark suit paired with sneakers. Notable guests included Robert K Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, and Robert Thomson, CEO of News Corp.
The couple’s relationship began through Murdoch’s third wife, Wendi Deng, as reported by The Daily Mail last summer. Zhukova, a retired molecular biologist who immigrated to the US from Moscow in 1991, was previously married to billionaire energy investor Alexander Zhukov, according to NYT.
Details of their courtship remain private, but reports suggest they spent weeks vacationing on the Mediterranean aboard the private motor yacht Christina O, once owned by Aristotle Onassis. Their engagement was confirmed in March.
This union follows Murdoch’s called-off engagement to Ann Lesley Smith, a retired dental hygienist and conservative radio host. Murdoch proposed to Smith last spring, but the engagement was called off after less than a month.
Zhukova’s marital history is less publicised. She met her first husband, British citizen Alexander Zhukov, while both were students in the Soviet Union. Their marriage produced a daughter, Dasha Zhukova, an entrepreneur and socialite, lasting three years, The New York Times reported. (ANI)