Rupert Murdoch, Petaluma’s Ann Lesley Smith call off engagement

Less than three weeks after announcing his St. Patrick’s Day engagement to former Petaluman Ann Lesley Smith, née Ann Lesley Krohn, the Fox News tycoon Rupert Murdoch has reportedly called off his impending fifth marriage, according to a Tuesday morning post on Vanity Fair magazine’s website.

Quoting unnamed sources “close to Murdoch,” 92, the article by Vanity Fair staffer Gabriel Sherman confirms that the couple, who began dating late last September, has called it quits, reportedly due to Murdoch’s having become “increasingly uncomfortable” with Smith’s strong evangelical Christian views and outspoken commentary.

For over two weeks, interest in the media mogul’s surprise engagement to Smith – a former dental hygienist turned street preacher turned conservative radio show host – has been astonishingly high across the globe, with headlines popping up from Perth, Australia to Petaluma, California.

Smith graduated from Petaluma High School with the Class of 1975.

From glittering details of Smith’s engagement ring – which the UK’s Daily News reported as featuring an 11-carat diamond worth approximately $2.5 million – to reports that Murdoch recently dropped $30 million for a 6,500-square-foot apartment overlooking Central Park in New York City, stories about the couple’s wedding plans have read like transcripts from the ‘70s television show “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.”

With the wedding date reported to have been planned for June, CNN went so far as to dub the nuptials “the media wedding of the summer.” Now, just as suddenly as the engagement news was delivered, it all appears to be off.

In a New York Post article released shortly after the original engagement announcement, Smith, who has been married three times previously - including a short marriage to Santana percussionist Michael Carabello, only just recently reported in the New York Times - described the whirlwind romance with Murdoch as “a gift from God,” expressing gratitude that she and the world-famous billionaire share “the same beliefs.”

From what aforementioned sources are hinting, those beliefs may not be quite so equally shared. In a 2013 interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Smith said, “When you let the Lord take control of your life, you can make it. Out of the ruins you can rise and let the oil of his anointing just be all over you.”

Following the original announcement on March 20, there was much social media merriment to be had from Murdoch’s remark to the Post, “We’re both looking forward to spending the second half of our lives together.” This would have been Murdoch’s fifth marriage. Most recently he was married to former supermodel Jerry Hall, whom he divorced shortly before meeting Smith.

No mention has yet appeared in news reports as to whether or not Smith will keep the ring, but for now, it does appear that Rupert Murdoch is back on the market.