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

I never thought I’d write these words, but I feel a little sorry for dear old Rupert Murdoch.

Sadly, the 92-year-old media mogul’s dream of spending his last years with a glamorous companion, a human hottie in his bed at night instead of an electric blanket, has come to nothing.

Just two weeks ago, Rupert Murdoch was described in a whole new way – no longer as an ax man with a relentless eye on the balance, the inspiration for television’s fiercest mogul, Succession’s Logan Roy. Now he was a softie, stricken with the love bug. Murdoch seemed to have undergone a total transformation and admitted that he had unexpectedly found a new partner later in life. Some female reporters breathlessly dubbed him the “last of the romantics” after announcing that he was considering marriage number five just a few months after divorcing wife number four, Jerry Hall.

We were just getting over the shock of this new loving persona when new news surfaced: the wedding and engagement were ALL OFF. Murdoch is once again single and free to mingle, as his short-lived engagement to 66-year-old Ann Lesley Smith, a former prison chaplain and radio show host, has come to an abrupt end, apparently by mutual agreement.

At 92, his net worth is still intact and his well-documented appetite for business is undiminished – so what next for this 90-year-old billionaire who is reportedly still hoping for a partner?

It’s too easy to make fun of older people who want to be loved, who want to spend their time with someone who is easy on the eye and fun to hang out with. Society glorifies youth, firm flesh, tight chins, and wrinkle-free eyes. The elderly are constantly put in one category, as if we are all the same. I hate the word “community” – as in the gay community, the older civic community and so on.

Humans are ultimately human and you can’t just define us based on our age and who we want to share our bodily fluids with.

In the case of Rupert Murdoch, I can confirm that he is personally charming, funny and very good company. He’s also (surprisingly) a bit prudish who dislikes unnecessary nudity, foul language and rude manners – a bit unexpected considering his tabloids were the first to offer us topless women.

Murdoch is once again single and free to mingle as his short-lived engagement to 66-year-old Ann Lesley Smith, a former prison chaplain and radio show host, has come to an abrupt end, apparently by mutual agreement.

Ann Lesley Smith shows off her engagement ring

Older people’s greatest fear is loneliness, so I understand why – at 92 years old – a man who wants nothing material might cherish the prospect of marriage number five. As a devoted Christian, he would not be happy if he only lived (in sin) with a partner. His children may have had different ideas about the proposed marriage, as each new wife would mean their legacy could be compromised even with the most difficult prenuptial agreement. But whatever the family may or may not have said to Dad when he announced his unexpected engagement, he won’t have paid much attention to it.

His business advisers may have had other, larger 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 spoke her mind on her radio show, and while Murdoch is a believer himself, he will not endorse conspiracy theories about Covid or get involved in discussions about banning abortion or other right-wing religious interests.

Murdoch was said to ‘admire and respect’ Mrs Smith, and there is no doubt that their shared beliefs brought them closer together. His ex-girlfriend is said to be “calm and strong” – attractive qualities for a man surrounded by a hectic schedule and competing advisors.

Marriage to Murdoch involves complicated prenuptial agreements and lavish payouts. His wives don’t speak badly of him. Jerry Hall is said to have received around £50 million when their marriage ended, including homes in England and France. Wendi Deng, his previous wife, also received a generous settlement. Mrs. Smith has also been married several times.

Questions have been raised about the legal action brought by Mrs Smith’s stepdaughters 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 the judge criticizing the handling of business by Mrs. Smith.

Janet Street-Porter writes, “I canceled my first wedding – 1A as it is known to friends – six months before I was to walk down the aisle, and seven days after meeting my next fiancé and eventual number one husband”

Perhaps Rupert Murdoch’s advisors and family sounded cautionary about formalizing his new relationship so quickly.

This leaves Rupert still looking for love later in life, and Mrs Smith decides whether to return the £2 million diamond ring Mr Murdoch picked out a few weeks ago.

Of course she has to keep the ring.

I have all my engagement rings – I consider them my just reward for being a brilliant companion who cheered up the guy in question, enriched and brightened his life during the period we spent together.

If a marriage falls through, the bride-to-be always keeps the ring. I canceled my first wedding — 1A as it is known to friends — six months before I was supposed to walk down the aisle, and seven days after meeting my next fiancé and eventual number one husband.

The 1A engagement ring isn’t worth a fortune—a Victorian band of moonstones set in gold—but it reminds me of a charming, sweet man I was completely unsuitable for, whom I pleased by ruthlessly calling off our wedding.

I also have my engagement rings from wedding number two and three – wonderful men, but both ended in amicable divorces (at my request) when love had run its course and we decided it was best to become friends rather than enemies.

So I hope Rupert keeps talking to Mrs. Smith, who seems to have brought him a lot of peace and happiness in the short time they spent together. Now he has the unenviable task of finding a replacement – and he will be inundated with offers after such a public blow-off.

Canceling an engagement or a wedding isn’t embarrassing or pathetic, it’s the right thing to do if you think you’ll meet someone better one day. My mom said when I called off my engagement and canceled wedding number one, I disgraced my family.

Towards the end of marriage number four, she grumbled in silence.

Growing old in 2023 doesn’t mean older folks have to adopt the wretched morality of mama’s generation, when widows and bereaved simply molted away in lonely misery. In modern society, as long as you have a heartbeat, a wedding can be just around the corner!