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Ann Lesley Smith

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Ann Lesley Smith
Born
Ann Lesley Krohn

1956 or 1957
NationalityAmerican
EducationGraduated Petaluma High School in 1975. Idaho State University (dental hygiene)
Occupation(s)Journalist. Former volunteer prison chaplain, dental hygienist, model, musician
Spouse(s)
John B. Huntington
​
(divorced)​

​
(d. 2008)​

Rupert Murdoch (engaged, 2023)

Ann Lesley Smith (born 1956 or 1957) is an American journalist.

After working in modelling, Smith was the host of the KFIV Ann Lesley Live radio show and worked as a Christian minister for the Manteca Police Department and the Marin County Sheriff's Office, before returning to journalism.

She was married to Chester Smith until his death in 2008, and in 2023 got engaged to Australian-American newspaper magnate Rupert Murdoch. Smith lives in Northern California.

Early life

Born as Ann Lesley Krohn[1] in 1956 or 1957,[2] she grew up in Petaluma, California,[1] and graduated from Petaluma High School on May 21, 1975.[3] She studied at Idaho State University.[4]

Career

After graduating from college, Smith worked as a self-employed dental hygienist.[5] Prior to her first marriage,[1] she also worked as a model, a radio journalist and as a singer-songwriter in San Francisco.[4] She ran the radio show Ann Lesley Live[6] on KFIV.[4] Later she volunteered[5] as a Christian minister doing prison chaplaincy[7] for the Manteca Police Department and the Marin County Sheriff's Office,[8] before returning to journalism, working for Rupert Murdoch's newspaper group.[9]

She is the founder of the Angels All Over non profit organisation that supports people experiencing homelessness.[10][11]

Personal life

Rupert Murdoch in 2015

In 1985,[1] at the age of 28, Smith married to John B. Huntington, a lawyer and philanthropist of the Huntington railroad family.[4][5][12] The marriage ended in divorce,[5] just before Smith became an evangelical Christian.[1]

She was married to American musician and radio and television broadcaster Chester Smith until his death in 2008.[2][6] The couple released the Captured by Love album in 2005.[13]

Smith got engaged to Australian-American business magnate[7] and billionaire[14] Rupert Murdoch on March 17, 2023 in New York City.[7] The couple met at his Moraga Estate, winery in Bel Air, California.[15] Murdoch divorced Jerry Hall seven months prior.[14] The couple have plans to marry in the summer of 2023.[14] In March 2023, author Rhonda Garelick reported on the age difference (26 years) and the imbalance of power between the billionaire and Smith and questioned if the engagement was strategically timed to deflect attention from Murdoch's court case with Dominion Voting Systems.[16] On April 4 2023, Vanity Fair reported that Murdoch called off the engagement.[17][18]

Smith lives on her ranch in northern California, which has a commercial vineyard[19][10] and olive production.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "92-year-old media mogul Rupert Murdoch's next wife is from Sonoma County". The Press Democrat. 2023-03-27. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  2. ^ a b Owoseje, Toyin (2023-03-20). "Rupert Murdoch is engaged to marry Ann Lesley Smith | CNN Business". CNN. Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  3. ^ Petaluma High To Graduate 300, San Rafael Independent Journal, May 21, 1975 Page 5
  4. ^ a b c d "Widow of Valley broadcast pioneer Chester Smith harnessing the power of talk". Modesto Bee. 3 March 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d "From Riches to Rags to Redemption: The Salvation of Ann-Lesley Smith". Christian Broadcasting Network. 2010-01-08. Archived from the original on 2023-03-07. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  6. ^ a b Helmore, Edward (2023-03-20). "Rupert Murdoch to marry for fifth time at 92: 'I knew this would be my last'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  7. ^ a b c Livesay, Brandon (20 March 2023). "Rupert Murdoch, 96, Announces Engagement to Ann Lesley Smith, 66: 'I Was Very Nervous'". People. Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  8. ^ Brewer, Rick (19 January 2007). "Volunteer chaplains ready for painfull call". The Stockton Record. Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  9. ^ Flood, Brian (2023-03-20). "Rupert Murdoch finds love with Ann Lesley Smith as happy couple plans summer wedding". Fox News. Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  10. ^ a b Jan 06, 2020, Rags to Riches to Redemption Archived 2023-03-20 at the Wayback Machine, Rotary Club of Beverly Hills
  11. ^ Roberts, Andrea Suozzo, Ken Schwencke, Mike Tigas, Sisi Wei, Alec Glassford, Brandon (2013-05-09). "Angels All Over Foundation - Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-03-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ Ross, Martha (2023-03-21). "Rupert Murdoch's new fiancee: 'Rags-to-riches' story began with marriage into wealthy San Francisco family". The Mercury News. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  13. ^ a b Pinheiro, Bob (8 August 2008). "Chester R. Smith, 78 – Modesto Radio Museum". Modesto Radio Museum. Archived from the original on 2023-02-24. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  14. ^ a b c Ng, Kate (2023-03-21). "A timeline of Rupert Murdoch's four (soon-to-be five) marriages". The Independent. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  15. ^ Coster, Helen (2023-03-20). "Media mogul Rupert Murdoch engaged to Ann Lesley Smith". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  16. ^ Garelick, Rhonda (2023-03-24). "The Privilege of a New Start". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  17. ^ Sherman, Gabriel (2023-04-04). "Rupert Murdoch and Ann Lesley Smith Call Off Their Engagement". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  18. ^ "Rupert Murdoch and Ann Lesley Smith call off engagement, according to reports". The Independent. 2023-04-04. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  19. ^ Lang, Brent (2023-03-20). "Rupert Murdoch Engaged to Ann Lesley Smith Less Than a Year After Divorcing Jerry Hall". Variety. Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
Wife of Rupert Murdoch
Preceded by Wife of Rupert Murdoch
2023 – present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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