This may be another April Fools’ Day prank. More study is needed, but apparently Russian president Vladimir Putin is dating Rupert Murdoch‘s ex-wife, Wendi Deng. Us Magazine reports that rumors of a romance have circulated the corridors of power in Washington and Moscow for a few years, and that the relationship is “serious.” Putin divorced Lyudmila Putina, his wife of 30 years, in 2014, and was later linked to gymnast Alina Kabaeva, with whom he allegedly has a child.
Deng was married to Rupert Murdoch for 14 years before they split in 2013, reportedly due to her cozy relationship with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. In 2011 Deng famously made headlines when she slapped a protestor attempting to hurl a pie at her husband during the inquiry into the News of the World phone-hacking scandal. Putin and Deng have yet to be photographed together looking romantic. In fact, they’ve yet to be photographed together, so this might be a case of a tabloid rumor gone amuck.
