JANET STREET-PORTER: Sorry kids, you’re never too old to put a ring on it

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I never thought I would write these words, but I feel a little sorry for the dear old men Rupert Murdoch.

The 92-year-old media mogul’s dream of spending his final years cohabiting with a glamorous companion, a human beauty in his bed at night instead of an electric blanket, has unfortunately come to naught.

Just two weeks ago, Rupert Murdoch was being described in a whole new way – no more than an ax-wielding man with a relentless eye on the balance sheet, the inspiration for TV’s wildest mogul, Successionis Logan Roy. Now he was a squishy, ​​stricken with the love bug. Murdoch appeared to have undergone a complete transformation and admitted that he unexpectedly found a new partner later in life. Some journalists breathlessly labeled him the ‘ultimate romantic’ after he announced he was considering marriage number five just months after divorcing wife number four. Jerry Hall.

We were barely getting over the shock of this new love interest when the fresh news broke – the wedding and engagement were ALL OFF. Murdoch is single and free to socialize again after his short-lived engagement to 66-year-old Ann Lesley Smith, a former prison chaplain and radio host, was abruptly ended, apparently by mutual consent.

JANET STREET-PORTER: Sorry kids, you’re never too old to put a ring on it

Rupert Murdoch enjoys the hot Caribbean sun with Ann Lesley Smith

At 92, his skills are still intact and his well-documented appetite for business undiminished – so what’s next for this 90-year-old billionaire, who is said to still be hoping for a partner?

It’s all too easy to mock older people who want to be loved, who want to spend their time with someone who is pleasing to the eye and fun. Society glorifies youth, firm flesh, toned chins and wrinkle-free eyes. Older people are constantly lumped into one category as if we are all the same. I hate the word ‘community’ – as in gay community, senior citizen community and so on.

People are people at the end of the day and you can’t just define us by age and who we want to share our bodily fluids with.

In the case of Rupert Murdoch, I can confirm that in person he is charming, funny and very good company. He’s also (surprisingly) a bit prudish, disliking unnecessary nudity, foul language and rude behavior – a bit unexpected, given that his tabloids were the first to offer us women upstairs without.

“Murdoch is single and free to socialize again after his short-lived engagement to Ann Lesley Smith, 66, a former prison chaplain and radio presenter, was abruptly ended, apparently by mutual consent.”

Ann Lesley Smith shows off her engagement ring

Ann Lesley Smith shows off her engagement ring

Older people’s biggest fear is loneliness, so I can understand why – at 92 – a man who wants nothing materially might be excited about the prospect of marriage number five. A committed Christian would not be happy just living (in sin) with a partner. His children may have had different ideas about the proposed marriage, as any new wife would mean their inheritance could be affected, even with the strictest prenuptial agreement. But no matter what the family told his father when he announced his unexpected engagement, he wasn’t going to take too much notice of it.

His business advisers may have had other, more important concerns, which could relate to Ann Lesley Smith’s political beliefs and their potential impact on Murdoch’s business interests.

His bride-to-be was a devout evangelical Christian who expresses her views on her radio show, and – although Murdoch himself is a believer – has no intention of subscribing to conspiracy theories about Covid and getting involved in the debates on abortion bans or other right-wing religious concerns.

Murdoch is said to have ‘admired and respected’ Ms Smith and there is no doubt that their shared beliefs brought them together. His ex-girlfriend is said to be “calm and strong” – attractive qualities for a man surrounded by a frenetic schedule and competing advisers.

Marrying Murdoch involves complicated prenuptial agreements and lavish payments. His wives do not slander him. Jerry Hall is said to have received around £50m when their marriage broke up, including houses in England and France. Wendi Deng, his previous wife, also received a generous settlement. Mrs. Smith was also married several times.

Questions have been raised about a legal action brought by Mrs Smith’s stepchildren following the death of her third husband, a wealthy country singer – a dispute over the proceeds of the will was settled out of court, with a judge criticizing Mrs Smith’s handling of the affairs.

Janet Street-Porter writes:

Janet Street-Porter writes: “I called off my first marriage – an 1A as it’s known to my friends – six months before I was due to walk down the aisle and seven days after I met my next fiance and eventual husband number one.”

Perhaps Rupert Murdoch’s advisers and family were wary of formalizing his new relationship so quickly.

Which leaves Rupert still looking for late love and Mrs Smith deciding whether to return the £2million diamond ring Mr Murdoch picked out for a hearing a few weeks ago.

Of course he got to keep the ring.

I have all my engagement rings – I consider them my just reward for being a brilliant companion who made said boy happy, enriched and enriched his life for the time we spent together.

If the wedding is called off, the bride-to-be always keeps the ring. I called off my first marriage – 1A as my friends know it – six months before I was due to walk down the aisle and seven days after I met my next fiancé and eventual husband number one.

The 1A engagement ring isn’t worth a fortune—a Victorian band of moonstones set in gold—but it reminds me of a charming, lovely man for whom I wasn’t quite right, and who I did him a favor by callously calling off our wedding.

I also have my engagement rings from weddings number two and three – wonderful men, but they both ended in an amicable divorce (at my request) when the love wore off and we decided it was best to be friends rather than enemies .

So I hope Rupert continues to talk to Mrs. Smith, who seems to have brought him much peace and happiness in the short time they have been together. Now he faces the unenviable task of finding a replacement – and after such a public rise, he will be inundated with offers.

Canceling an engagement or marriage is not shameful or pathetic, it is the right thing to do if you believe that one day you will meet someone better. My mother said I had disgraced my family by calling off my engagement and calling off wedding number one.

By the end of marriage number four, she was suffocating in silence.

Aging in 2023 does not mean that the elderly should adopt the miserable morals of my mother’s generation, when widows and grieving men only smoldered in solitary misery. In today’s society, if you have a pulse, marriage may be just around the corner!

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