Since his 30 year marriage ended, Vladimir Putin’s love life has been a taboo subject. And as it is with subjects that are off-limits, rumours start flying around.
The Gymnast
Shortly after his divorce, the tabloids were rife with stories about Putin dating Russian gymnast Alina Kabaeva. The rumours developed as Kabaeva’s waistline increased, and soon the European gossip sites started speculating that the gymnast is either expecting Putin’s child, or that she has given birth to the controversial president’s baby. The Swiss newspaper Bild even ventured that Putin had been missing appearances around March 2015, because he was in Switzerland supporting Kabaeva as she was delivering their little darling. Of course the Kremlin denied all such rumours.
What Happened With the Gymnast?
Who knows, that’s old news, and there is now a new rumour doing the rounds. This time it puts Putin with media mogul Rupert Murdoch’s ex-wife (number three out of four), Wendi Deng. According to the press, Murdoch filed for divorce after he became suspicious of his now ex-wife’s ‘friendship’ with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Deng and Blair were apparently spending far too much time together – Murdoch even ended his long-standing friendship with the former Prime Minister. This is not the first time Wendi Deng has been in the middle of an awkward threesome. When she was studying in the US, Deng lived with a couple and had an affair with the husband, who she later married. Curiously this man also left Deng because he suspected her of having an affair with another man. She got a green card out of this marriage. Chances are she got a bit more out of her next marriage, seeing as Murdoch has a net worth of over US$12 billion.
How much is Putin worth?
Who knows, but according to the media, sources close to Putin say that Deng is in it to win it with her Russian maybe-boyfriend. The couple met through Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, one of Putin’s closest friends, and Deng was seen boarding one of Abramovich’s yachts. Other than Deng getting on a yacht Putin may or may not have been on, it is all speculation. Putin and Deng have not actually been seen together in a romantic way; to date there is not a single photo of the two together in any of the tabloids. Incidentally, the rumours about Putin and Deng started circulating on the 1st of April, so who knows if it’s true or not.