Jerry Hall has filed for divorce from Rupert Murdoch, citing “irreconcilable differences” with the billionaire media mogul.
In a petition filed in a California court on Friday, six years after they were married, the former model sought spousal support and legal fees from the 91-year-old.
It will be Murdoch’s fourth divorce. Hall was previously in a long-term relationship with Mick Jagger, of the Rolling Stones, with whom she has four children. Hall and Murdoch started dating in 2015 and were married a year later.
According to reports in the US, the split came as a surprise to people close to the family.
In the petition, filed with the Los Angeles superior court, Hall said she was “unaware of the full nature and extent of all [Murdoch’s] assets and debts, and will amend this petition when the information has been ascertained”.
Hall, who on Saturday marked her 66th birthday, also requested that the court cut off its ability to award support to Murdoch.
Hall’s lawyer, Ronald Brot, and a spokesperson for Murdoch did not immediately respond to the Guardian’s request for comment. News Corp, of which Murdoch is executive chair, did not comment.
Hall and Murdoch, who is thought to be worth £14bn, were married at a low-key ceremony in March 2016 at Spencer House in London.
Hall has reportedly been left “heartbroken” and “devastated” by the sudden end to their marriage, allegedly blaming his children for “souring the marriage”.
According to the Daily Mail, she was waiting for Murdoch in the UK when she received an email from him telling her that their marriage was over and that she should only communicate with him through his lawyers. She reportedly told a friend: “I still love him. I am devastated.”
The newspaper reports that tensions between Hall and his children started during the pandemic when she allegedly took on a “gatekeeping” role to protect him from Covid. She reportedly believes that this led to his family believing she was trying to cut their contact with him.
The couple signed a prenuptial agreement.
In June, the New York Times reported that the expected divorce was unlikely to change the ownership structure of the businesses that he holds stakes in.
Murdoch is co-chair of the Fox News Channel’s parent company, Fox Corporation, and controls News Corp – the owner of News UK, which publishes the Times, the Sunday Times and the Sun – through a Nevada-based family trust that holds an approximately 40% stake in voting shares of each company.
