Media mogul Rupert Murdoch, 93, married his beautiful bride, retired molecular biologist Elena Zhukova, 67, yesterday. After dating for several months, the couple tied the knot, and Murdoch was all smiles on their wedding day. The new Mrs. Murdoch looked stunning in an elegant white dress, clutching a small posy of Lily of the Valley flowers.
He was rumored to be dating Zhukova, a retired Russian biologist, soon after his engagement to ex-police chaplain Ann Lesley Smith was abruptly called off in April 2023. Australian-born Murdoch, who has six children, is the chairman emeritus of News Corporation, which owns Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, the Sun, and the Times.
Happy For the Fifth Time
Murdoch wore a dark suit, white shirt, and a patterned yellow tie. The happy couple beamed for the wedding photographer as they celebrated their big day with delighted relatives at a ceremony blessed with blue skies and warm sunshine at his vineyard in California.
Murdoch stepped down as chairman of News Corporation in November when his son Lachlan took over his responsibilities.
Murdoch and Zhukova are said to have met at a party hosted by one of his ex-wives, Chinese-born entrepreneur Wendi Deng. His other former spouses include Australian flight attendant Patricia Booker, Scottish-born journalist Anna Mann, and US model and actress Jerry Hall.
His other former spouses are Australian flight attendant Patricia Booker, Scottish-born journalist Anna Mann, and US model and actress Jerry Hall.
Murdoch began his career in Australia in the 1950s, eventually buying the News of the World and the Sun newspapers in the UK in 1969. He later acquired several US publications, including the New York Post and Wall Street Journal.
In 1996, he launched Fox News, which has become the most-watched TV news channel in the US.
Through News Corp, founded in 2013, Murdoch remains the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international media outlets.
His career has not been without controversy, with one of the most damaging incidents being the UK phone-hacking scandal that erupted when it was revealed that the News of the World had listened to the voicemails of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler.
New Wife, New Life
Zhukova is a retired molecular biologist who specialized in diabetes research, including work at the University of California, Los Angeles.
She is the mother of Russian American art collector Dasha Zhukova and was previously married to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.
Zhukova moved to the United States from Moscow toward the end of the Soviet Union in 1991. Her ex-husband became a billionaire energy investor and now resides in London as a British citizen.
Her daughter Dasha, 42, a prominent philanthropist, entrepreneur, and arts patron, was married to Roman Abramovich until 2017.
