After Rupert Murdoch filed for divorce from third wife Wendi Deng this summer, rumors blaming the split on an affair between Deng and family friend Tony Blair began to swirl. Eventually, the whispers became so loud that a rep for the former British prime minister was forced to deny that his boss was involved with the mogul’s soon-to-be ex. Now, British tabloid the Daily Mail claims that Deng’s relationship with Blair may have still played a role in the breakup, even if the two never slept together: According to “a well-placed source in London,” Murdoch filed for divorce after finding a note “written by Ms. Deng to herself” suggesting that she “‘had warm feelings’ for Mr Blair, comparable to a ‘crush.’”
Unnamed friends of Blair told the paper that Deng’s alleged warm feelings never led to anything inappropriate. “Wendi was in a hateful marriage. Tony is a sympathetic guy and helped her through a bad time,” said one. Another explained, “Wendi was going through a very difficult time with Rupert and Tony was a shoulder to cry on. There is nothing more to it than that. Rupert is old and confused and has imagined all this.” Whether or not the high-profile love triangle — or even just Deng’s hopes for one — ever existed, it’s safe to say everyone made it out just fine.
