The news of their six-year breakup surprised their pals, with the entire world wondering why. RICHARD KAY has inside information.

• According to the New York Times, Rupert Murdoch, 91, and Jerry Hall, 65, are ending their marriage.

• This will be Murdoch's fourth divorce; he was previously married to Wendi Deng and had two daughters with her.

• Until 1999, Hall was in a 22-year relationship with the musician Mick Jagger.

• Elizabeth, James, Georgia May, and Gabriel were Jerry Hall's four children with Rolling Stones star Jagger.

• Murdoch, CEO and Chairman of the media conglomerate News Corp, has a staggering £14 billion in wealth.

It appeared to be a perfect match for all sides, a textbook instance of opposites attracting. Through her decades-long relationship with Rolling Stones leader Mick Jagger, Jerry Hall combined the glitz of the catwalk and the aura of rock-and-roll royalty. Rupert Murdoch, media mogul and billionaire, contributed virtually everything else.

Even yet, they were an unusual couple: she was mesmerizing with her Texan drawl, long legs, and generous tongue, while he was happiest hopping by private plane and blacked-out limo from the boardroom to the corporate headquarters.

Moreover, there was a 26-year age difference. Nonetheless, this collision of cultures appeared to work, at least initially. In public, they were amorous and touchy, kissing and holding hands like excited adolescents. Jerry appeared to have found the contentment that was absent from his previous relationships with a lady who had exploited her attractiveness and sexuality.
She disclosed this in an interview prior to their 2016 wedding. "I have dated younger men, and they are a lot of fun and enthusiastic. Stamina! But I think older men are far better lovers.' 

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She continued, in what now seems uncannily like a dating profile, "I don't want children because I already have four." And I don't want to be told what to do because, you know, I have my own money. Therefore, it must be the appropriate individual. However, I do enjoy the concept of having a friend.

Yesterday, as news broke that they are divorcing after six years of marriage, the intriguing issue remained: was Rupert Murdoch, now 91 years old, a devoted lover or a mere companion? Or perhaps they were simply incompatible?

Jerry Hall, who is currently 65 years old and had children with Jagger, was from one planet. Murdoch, the consummately cutthroat billionaire, was from another country. Nevertheless, the news of their separation was as shocking as their first public appearance together at the 2015 Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham.

Insiders acknowledged that it was the most implausible of romantic pairings. Months after their wedding, he was as smitten with her as she appeared to be with him.

They spent the 2020 lockdown at a £11.25 million Georgian townhouse near the River Thames in Henley, Oxfordshire, a Cotswolds manor house slated for repair, and a 340,000-acre ranch near Yellowstone National Park in Montana, the United States.