2013 – The most eligible industry players of the year
1. Harold Mitchell
Newly single multi-millionaire Harold Mitchell ended 50 years of marriage with wife Bevelly soon after he stepped down from his media empire in July. With a fortune estimated to be around $370m, the 71-year-old has plenty of time on his hands and oodles of cash to spend. Since dropping 80 kgs after gastric band surgery four years ago, Harold has developed a healthy and active lifestyle making him feel younger than ever. And though he’s retired, Harold is rumoured to have a new startup in the works.
2. Rupert Murdoch
Not one to be tied down, Murdoch separated from his third wife, Wendy Deng in June, after 14 years of marriage. The split coincided with the division of his media empire News Corporation into two separate companies, 21st Century Fox and the new News Corp, signalling the start of a new era for the 82-year-old. While his body may be ageing, Murdoch remains young at heart. Deng was 39 years his junior, and after they split he was reportedly spending time with another younger woman, a massage therapist who friends told reporters made him “very happy”.
3. James Packer
Australia’s third richest person, once considered one of Sydney’s most eligible bachelors, James Packer, returned to the dating pool this year when he and wife Erica Baxter announced the end of their six year marriage. At 36 Packer has been married twice and engaged three times, but his billions of dollars should be enough to cover a chequered past. In the last 18 months he’s also shed more than 35kg, after undergoing gastric bypass surgery, while his plans for a new $1.5bn casino development in Sydney and a Hollywood partnership with director Brett Ratner should see his fortune grow. A rumoured romance with Miranda Kerr will help his credentials with the ladies.
4. Tim Robards
He may have been forced to choose his partner on Channel Ten’s dating competition show The Bachelor but this chiropractor from Sydney’s Bondi is rumoured to be still very much on the market. When he appeared at PR event The Social Diary’s Christmas party in Sydney three weeks before the conclusion of the show, Robards attracted a crowd of bachelorettes clawing for attention, making his costume – a dishevelled suit covered in scratches and red roses – truly come to life.
Armytage
5. Samantha Armytage
There was much speculation when Samantha Armytage was brought on to co-host Channel Seven’s Sunrise in place of the much-loved Melissa Doyle. But since her arrival on set ratings have soared for Sunrise which could be linked to Samantha’s popularity. The blonde bombshell was bombarded with phone calls and messages when her phone number flashed on air during a segment on the show and she was the recipient of marriage proposals said to be well into the double digits.
6. Osher Gunsberg
Breaking tradition with the international TV format for The Bachelor, Osher Gunsberg hosted the dating show as a single man which was something of a no-no according to Ten sources. The former host of Australian Idol and Paula Abdul’s Live to Dance on US network CBS divorced his wife Noa Tishby two years ago but said he wouldn’t be tempted by any of the single women on the show. However now Channel Ten has completed The Bachelor’s run, Gunsberg may find he has more options than ever.
7. Michelle Bridges
Soon after Michelle Bridges and Bill Moore ended their nine year marriage in March, the finely sculpted fitness entrepreneur emerged on the red carpet with her on-screen colleague Steve “Commando” Willis of The Biggest Loser. While their on-again, off-again romance is widely speculated about, Willis hesitates to make a call on whether he will leave his partner, the mother of his two children, for Bridges.
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So eligible men means a heartbeat and a large back account?
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