Rupert Murdoch, 92 reportedly ‘calls off’ engagement to Ann Lesley Smith 2 weeks after proposal

Rupert Murdoch has reportedly called off his engagement to Ann Lesley Smith, 66 just two weeks after proposing. The 92-year-old was due to head down the aisle for a fifth time later this year, following a whirlwind romance with the radio host.

However, Vanity Fair has reported that the couple’s relationship has come crashing down just weeks after announcing their engagement. According to reports in Vanity Fair, an insider claimed that the media mogul had become concerned by his bride’s “outspoken evangelical views”.

The pair first met at his vineyard Moraga in Bel Air, California last September, after Murdoch divorced his fourth wife Jerry Hall the month before. In an interview with the New York Post, Murdoch said: “‘I was very nervous. I dreaded falling in love — but I knew this would be my last. It better be. I’m happy.”

Murdoch proposed during St Patrick’s Day festivities in New York on March 17 with an Asscher-cut diamond solitaire engagement ring that he "personally selected".

Ms Smith was previously married to American musician and radio and television broadcaster Chester Smith until he died in 2008. Speaking to the New York Post, she said: “For us both it’s a gift from God. We met last September.

“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.”

The pair were due to wed in the summer and were planning to split their time between California, the UK, Montana and New York. The couple  are yet to publicly speak out over the reports.