Rupert Murdoch is one of the most powerful and influential media moguls in the world, with a net worth of nearly $9 billion and a vast empire of newspapers, TV channels, and publishing houses. But he is also a hopeless romantic, who has been married four times and engaged six times, and who is now ready to tie the knot for the fifth time with Elena Zhukova, a 67-year-old retired molecular biologist from Moscow.
The couple, who met through Murdoch’s third ex-wife Wendi Deng, have been dating since last summer and plan to wed in June at Murdoch’s California vineyard and estate, Moraga Vineyards, according to the New York Times. The invitations have already been sent out, and the event is expected to be a lavish and intimate affair.
Murdoch, who stepped down as chairman of Fox and News Corp last year, has said that he wants to spend more time with his family and enjoy his retirement. But he also seems to have found a new passion and happiness with Zhukova, who shares his interest in science and art.
Who is Elena Zhukova?
Elena Zhukova was born in January 1957 in Moscow, where she studied chemistry and biology at the Moscow State Pedagogical Institute. She started her scientific career at the Central Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion of the USSR Ministry of Health, where she became a candidate of biological sciences.
She married Alexander Zhukov, a graduate of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University, who took her surname. In the 1990s, her husband became wealthy from trading oil and moved to Britain. Zhukova divorced him and emigrated to the US, where she worked at the University of California, Los Angeles, writing scientific papers on diabetes.
She married for the second time to Georgy Gauze, a scientist and biologist who came from Russia. They had met in 1990, when Gauze was her official opponent at her doctoral defence. He died in 1999.
She has three children from her previous marriages: Daria, Katherine, and George. They all live outside Russia. Daria is an entrepreneur, who founded the popular Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow, Katherine is an art dealer, and George is a composer. Daria was married to Roman Abramovich, the Russian oligarch and former owner of Chelsea Football Club, from 2008 to 2017.
How did Murdoch and Zhukova meet?
Murdoch and Zhukova were introduced by Wendi Deng, Murdoch’s third ex-wife, who hosted a large family gathering in 2023. Deng, a Chinese-born entrepreneur, was married to Murdoch for 14 years, before he filed for divorce in 2013. She remained on good terms with him and his children, and invited Zhukova to join them for a holiday.
Murdoch and Zhukova hit it off and started a relationship shortly after Murdoch ended his two-week-long engagement to Ann Lesley Smith, a 67-year old conservative radio host, in April 2023. According to the Daily Mail, Murdoch was smitten by Zhukova’s beauty and intelligence, and was impressed by her scientific achievements and artistic connections.
In August 2023, Murdoch and Zhukova travelled on a yacht across the Mediterranean Sea, where they had an “early stage romance”, according to the Daily Mail. They were accompanied by some of Murdoch’s children, who approved of their father’s new love interest. For the vacation, Murdoch rented the legendary Christina O, a super-yacht that featured in the film The Triangle of Sorrow. The rental cost $767,000 per week, according to the Daily Mail.
What are Murdoch and Zhukova’s plans for the future?
Murdoch and Zhukova are planning to get married in June 2024, in a ceremony that will take place at Murdoch’s Moraga Vineyards, a renowned estate with six hectares of vineyards in a prestigious area of California. The estate, which Murdoch bought in 2013 for $28.8 million, produces award-winning wines and olive oil, and has a 7,500-square-foot mansion with four bedrooms and a pool.
The wedding is expected to be a grand and exclusive event, with only close family and friends invited. The guest list will likely include some of the most prominent figures in the media, business, and political worlds, as well as some celebrities and artists. The wedding will also mark the fifth time that Murdoch will say “I do”, after his previous marriages to Patricia Booker, Anna Murdoch Mann, Wendi Deng, and Jerry Hall.
The marriage will not affect Murdoch’s business interests, which are held by a family trust that owns shares in Fox and News Corp. The trust is controlled by Murdoch and his four eldest children: Prudence, Elisabeth, Lachlan, and James. Murdoch also has two younger children with Deng: Grace and Chloe.
Murdoch and Zhukova will likely continue to pursue their passions and hobbies, such as science, art, and philanthropy. Zhukova is a supporter of several charitable causes, such as the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation and the Global Fund for Women. Murdoch is a patron of the arts, and has donated to various museums and galleries, such as the Tate Modern and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Murdoch and Zhukova have also expressed their admiration and respect for each other, and their excitement for their new chapter in life. Murdoch has said that he is very happy and lucky to have found Zhukova, and that he is looking forward to spending more time with her and his family. Zhukova has said that she is honoured and grateful to be with Murdoch, and that he is a wonderful and generous man.
