Rupert Murdoch is understood to have started a romance with Roman Abramovich's Jewish former mother in law.

The 92-year-old media mogul is said to be dating Elena Zhukova, 66, whose daughter Darya, 42, was married to the Russian oligarch until 2018.

Zhukova, a retired scientist, was seen holidaying with Murdoch and two of his children in Corfu, Greece aboard the rented yacht Christina O. The 18-bedroom yacht that is said to cost more than £600,000 a week to rent. 

According to the Daily Mail who obtained pictures of the two individuals, Murdoch and Zhukova are said to be in the "early stages" of a relationship.

Other media reports in the US cite a source saying Murdoch "just might be in love again".

Zhuhova, who worked as a molecular biologist at the University of California, is Jewish by heritage and faith.

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Rented yacht Christina O (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

She was previously married to financier Alexander Zhukov. They separated in 1991 and Zhukova then moved from Moscow to the US, where she brought up her daughter Darya.

Darya, 42, nicknamed Dasha, was married to former Chelsea FC owner Abramovich for 10 years and she had a son and a daughter with him. She is now married to Stavros Niarchos, the son of a Greek shipping billionaire, with whom she has a two-year-old son.

Zhukova also has 31-year-old twins Katya and Yuri from another relationship and is close to Darya and spends a lot of time with her grandchildren Aaron, 14, and Leah, 10, whose father is Abramovich.

If Murdoch were to marry Zhukova, he would become stepfather to Darya, who is an art collector and sits on the boards of three art galleries. 

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Rupert Murdoch with former wife Jerry Hall (Photo: Getty)

The Australian-born businessman has had four wives previously: model and actor Jerry Hall, Chinese-born American entrepreneur Wendi Deng,  journalist and novelist Anna Torv, and former flight attendant Patricia Booker. 

The emergence of the relationship comes as Murdoch called off what would have been his fifth wedding to former American police chaplain Ann Lesley Smith this summer.

He had told the New York Post when the engagement was announced in March: "I was very nervous.

“I dreaded falling in love - but I knew this would be my last. It better be. I'm happy."

A representative of Murdoch declined to comment.