Rupert Murdoch marries for the fifth time

Media magnate weds Russian-born retired molecular biologist, Elena Zhukova, at a ceremony in California.

murdoch

Rupert Murdoch and Elena Zhukova got married on June 1 [News Corp. via AP]

Published On 3 Jun 2024

3 Jun 2024

Media magnate Rupert Murdoch has married for the fifth time, tying the knot with a Russian-born retired molecular biologist.

Murdoch, 93, and Elena Zhukova, 67, exchanged vows in a ceremony at his vineyard estate in Bel Air, California on Saturday, less than three months after the couple announced they were engaged.

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Murdoch’s The Sun tabloid published photographs of the groom wearing a black suit and yellow tie and the bride dressed in an off-the-shoulder white gown.

Guests at the ceremony included Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots US football team, and News Corp chief executive Robert Thomson.

Murdoch’s fourth marriage to model and actor Jerry Hall ended in divorce in 2022.

The billionaire was previously married to Chinese-born television executive Wendi Deng, Scottish-Australian journalist Anna Torv, and Australian flight attendant Patricia Booker.

Murdoch, who has six children, last year announced his engagement to dental hygienist-turned-conservative-radio host Ann Lesley Smith before calling off the wedding several weeks later.

Zhukova was previously married to billionaire energy investor and Russian politician Alexander Zhukov.

Murdoch, who built a global media empire after inheriting the Adelaide-based The News newspaper in the 1950s, in November stepped down as the head of both Fox News’s parent company and his News Corp media holdings.

Murdoch’s surprise resignation handed control of the media stable, which includes Fox News, The Times of London and The Wall Street Journal, to his son, Lachlan