How James Packer and Mariah Carey's romance unfolded
She once sang Love Takes Time. And the slow-burn friendship that blossomed into full-blown romance between US pop queen Mariah Carey and Australian billionaire James Packer is the proof she knew what she was singing about. Packer and Carey decided to go public about their burgeoning love affair while on holiday together in Italy on Friday.
But it can be revealed the couple first met 18 months ago, and friends say it was "not love at first sight". The Crown Resorts boss was holidaying in the Colorado ski resort of Aspen, where he owns a villa, in December 2013, with his US business partner Brett Ratner.
Ratner, who runs US moviefinancing company RatPac Entertainment with Packer, is one of Carey's closest friends, having produced many of the five-time Grammy winner's top-rating music videos. Carey, who was also in Aspen, turned up with friends to visit Ratner and was invited to "hang out".
At the time, Carey was married to successful US rapper Nick Cannon, while Packer was still getting over his divorce from model Erica Baxter just months earlier. While that first meeting was purely platonic, there was an undeniable connection between the pair. They forged an instant friendship that lasted through both of their marriage breakdowns.
Carey, the best-selling female artist of all time who was previously married to American music executive Tommy Mottola, split from Cannon in 2014, also after a six-year marriage. They have maintained a friendship for the sake of their three-year-old twins Monroe and Moroccan.
Packer and Baxter, who have three young children - Indigo, Jackson and Emmanuelle - also maintain a friendship. Their closeness was demonstrated in March when Packer attended the funeral of Baxter's father in Gunnedah. After splitting with Baxter, Packer was dating Victoria's Secret model Miranda Kerr, though neither publicly acknowledged their less-than-secret union.
Friends say Packer, 47, began "aggressively" pursuing the newly single Carey, 45, months ago, with his love interest inspiring his drastic weight loss. The R&B diva finally succumbed to Packer's advances when he invited her to go on a Mediterranean sailing holiday aboard his luxury yacht the Arctic P.
The pair are now said to have become inseparable and can barely keep their hands off each other. Aware of the likely media frenzy that would follow once their romance was revealed, Packer and Carey appeared in public together in Italy, holding hands. A beaming Packer and Carey allowed the paparazzi to photograph them walking down a bustling street in Capri, where they have moored the yacht.
"It was going to be impossible to keep it secret so they decided to get it out there," a US source said. "They've been together for a few weeks." The pair later posed for photographs, with a smitten Packer gently touching Carey on her back as she threw her head back laughing.
Despite Carey sporting a ring on her wedding finger, the source denied they were engaged. With both being successful in their own right, parents, and in their mid 40s, friends say they have more in common than others might realise.
While some reacted in shock at the coupling, Packer's friends gave it the stamp of approval. "James is looking amazing," one friend said. "He is the fittest he has been for a long time." The pair are set to sail to Cannes and St Tropez after departing Capri, with Packer expected to lure Carey to Australia for the summer.
Coincidentally, another of Packer's other ex-wives, swimsuit designer Jodhi Meares, is also holidaying in Italy, across the waters on the Amalfi coast in Positano. As details of the Packer romance circulated, Meares posted a selfie on Instagram with her mother Denise and sister Sophie. The ex-couple are also said to remain on good terms.
Carey has an upcoming Christmas film being produced by RatPac Entertainment, in which she is said to be playing a major role. The singer, whose 1994 song All I Want For Christmas remains one of the successful yuletide pop hits ever and the biggest of Carey's international career, reportedly brought an idea to Ratner for the movie. Details of the upcoming film surfaced in April, although the plot has remained under wraps.
Many linked the breakdown of Packer's marriage to the stress of the death of his father Kerry, selling out of Channel Nine and the pressure to establish his global business empire. His alleged relationship with Kerr was the final straw, triggering the infamous Bondi punch-up with his best mate, David Gyngell. (The Daily Telegraph)
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