Who Is Rupert Murdoch’s Girlfriend Elena Zhukova and How Did He Get Engaged at 92?

The 92-year-old media magnate Robert Murdoch has proposed to his partner, the 67-year-old retired Russian molecular scientist Elena Zhukova. They dated for a number of months. The news of the engagement was verified by a BBC article that quoted members of Murdoch’s staff.

According to the source, this year’s wedding will take place at Murdoch’s Californian ranch and winery in Moraga. It’s his sixth engagement, yet it’s his fifth.

Murdoch resigned from his position as Fox and News Corp. chairman last year. According to a New York Times article, invitations have already been sent out and the wedding is scheduled for June. The US publication broke the story first. It is also said that Murdoch’s enterprises, which are held in a trust overseen by his four oldest children, are unlikely to be impacted in the future by his marriage to Zhukova.

The two became together shortly after Murdoch unexpectedly broke off his engagement to former police chaplain Ann Lesley Smith in April 2023. They first connected at a party put on by Wendi Deng, a Chinese-born businesswoman who was formerly Murdoch’s ex-wife.

Murdoch is married to US model and actress Jerri Hall, Australian flight attendant Patricia Booker, journalist Anna Mann (born in Scotland), and Wendi Deng.

Alexander Zhukov, a Russian oil millionaire, was Zhukova’s former husband. According to the BBC, their daughter Dasha, a socialite and entrepreneur, was married to Russian millionaire Roman Abramovich until 2017.

The media tycoon began his professional life in Australia in the 1950s and acquired the UK tabloids News of the World and The Sun in 1969. He also bought other US magazines, such as the Wall Street Journal and New York Post. In 1996, he founded Fox News, which is now the most popular TV news network in the United States.

Through News Corp., which he created in 2013, he continues to possess hundreds of local, national, and worldwide media businesses.

Murdoch has had a contentious career. His British tabloid, News of the World, closed as a result of a phone hacking incident in 2011. Murdoch has also come under fire for his alleged unethical behavior and biased reporting, as well as for his influence on political matters.

He has given his son Lachlan the reigns since September and subsequently assumed the position of Chairman Emeritus at Fox and News Corp.