Jerry Hall

When Rupert Murdoch married Wendi Deng in 1999, it was controversial. Murdoch was then a spry 68-year-old and Wendi was 31. At the time, it was his third marriage and her second. Deng has always been accused of trading in lovers and husbands for more money and power, and many side-eyed the fact that Deng had been the “homewrecker” two times in a row, breaking up her first husband’s marriage and then being the “other woman” in Murdoch’s second marriage. When the Deng-Murdoch marriage fell apart back in 2014, there were once again widespread rumors that Deng had already moved on to another more powerful lover, this time the very married Tony Blair. I don’t know what happened between Deng and Blair, but if it was ever something, it’s probably over now. Because Wendi Deng is reportedly dating… Vladimir Putin. How’s this for a new couple alert? The rumor circulating around the corridors of power — from Washington, D.C., to Europe and Asia — is that Vladimir Putin and Wendi Deng, Rupert Murdoch’s ex-wife, are dating. Reports of the pair have been floating around for years, ever since their respective divorces in 2014 and 2013. One insider close to the powerful leader tells Us Weekly the relationship is “serious.” The controversial Russian president, 63, was previously married to Lyudmila Putina for 30 years, with whom he shares daughters Maria, 30, and Yekaterina, 29. The Kremlin confirmed their divorce in April 2014. The politician rarely discusses his children, but during an annual news conference in December 2015, he boasted about his daughters to thousands of reporters, before shutting down more personal questions. “They studied only at Russian universities. I am proud of them. They continue to study and work. My daughters speak three European languages fluently. One of them can even speak one or two Oriental languages. They are making their first steps and are successful,” he told the crowd during the rare moment, before stating: “I never discuss questions related to my family. They are not involved in business or politics. They are not pushing for this.” Following Lyudmila and Putin’s split, the president was rumored to be dating Russian gymnast Alina Kabaeva. Putin was often featured in European gossip sites after Kabaeva stepped out in early 2015 looking “fuller,” igniting pregnancy rumors. Swiss newspaper Bild then reported that Putin had missed appearances because he had traveled to Switzerland to be by Kabaeva’s side, where she allegedly gave birth to their child at a Swiss hospital in March 2015. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied the rumors. Deng has yet to be spotted looking romantic with the Russian leader, but was seen boarding her pal Roman Abramovich’s yacht in St. Bart’s on Monday, March 28. Abramovich also happens to be friends with Putin. (According to the Daily Mail, the billionaire Chelsea Football Club owner reportedly gifted the president with a $35 million yacht in January.) [From Us Weekly] There’s no shadiness like Russian shadiness, my God. Putin received a “gift” of a $35 million yacht from Roman Abramovich? Yikes. And I still believe that Putin was dealing with that gymnast, Alina Kabaeva. In fact, that’s why the news surprised me so much – I was sure that if we ever heard anything else about Putin’s personal life, it was going to be that he married his young gymnast. As for the Deng-Putin power couple… I suspect they’ve both met their match. And it will either be perfect or it will be an utter disaster, nothing in between. I also suspect the timing of this confirmation is more about Wendi trying to stick it to her ex, Rupert Murdoch, for marrying Jerry Hall so quickly. Photos courtesy of WENN.