CELEBRITY

James Packer finally breaks silence on ‘Mariah mistake’

The billionaire opens up about their messy split

James Packer has finally spoken out about his ill-fated engagement to Mariah Carey, revealing the real reason why it fell apart.

The Aussie billionaire confessed to The Weekend Australia that he wasn’t in a good place when he started dating the now 47-year-old pop icon.

The 50-year-old says when he met Mariah in 2015 he was in billions of dollars worth of debt after borrowing big to provide sister Gretel with some of the money left in their father Kerry Packer’s estate. He was also losing money on his Hollywood venture, RatPac, with friend Brett Ratner.

“I was at a low point in my personal life,” James said. “Documenting the negotiations with my sister was taking longer than expected. Brett Ratner put Mariah and me together. She was kind, exciting and fun. Mariah is a woman of substance. She is very bright. But it was a mistake for her and a mistake for me.”

James did not comment on the rumours that Mariah got to keep her $10 million engagement ring and if she requested a $50 million settlement when they split.

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