James Packer breaks his silence on why he and Mariah Carey split: "I had become toxic"
Billionaire James Packer and pop star Mariah Carey dated for 18 months before their highly-publicised engagement was called off in 2016.
Now, the Australian businessman has candidly discussed the couple’s failed relationship in his new biography The Price of Fortune: The Untold Story of Being James Packer.
According to an excerpt published by The Daily Telegraph, the 51-year-old says he became “toxic” at the time of their split.
“By the time the Israel so-called Case 1000 had become public, the China arrests, and Crown's sale of Macau had occurred and the breakup with Mariah had happened, I had become toxic,” he says in his book.
James also denies leaking any details of Mariah’s settlement after the pair’s failed engagement.
“I had absolutely nothing to do with the story,” he says.
The superstar singer reportedly received AUD$70 million after the breakup for an “inconvenience fee”.
She was initially “poised to accept $7 million to walk away” before allegedly increasing the figure, reported The Daily Telegraph.
In another published excerpt, James said his relationship was initially “fun”, but his mental health was in a dark place.
James also describes his former fiancée as “insanely bright”.
However, underneath the surface, he was struggling mentally with the casino mogul later being admitted to a rehabilitation centre in March 2018.
In February 2016, just a month after he proposed to Mariah with an AUD$12.7 million 35-carat ring, he admitted he was not coping well.
The toll eventually became too much for James and the relationship collapsed, with the couple announcing their split in October 2016.
After their split, Mariah sold the engagement ring for a fraction of the price to an LA jeweller for $2.78 million, reported the New York Post.
The singer’s publicist told Page Six at the time: “Mariah has been very vocal recently about her choice to move forward in her life surrounded by positivity.”
They added, “That requires leaving emotional and material baggage behind, including an old engagement ring from an ex-boyfriend.”
Recently, Seven Network owner Kerry Stokes’ role in the breakdown of the high-profile engagement was also revealed.
As James struggled to cope with his business and personal life, Mr Stokes stepped in and took charge of his friend’s private affairs in 2016.
Mr Stokes encouraged James to spend time alone in Israel so that his friend could improve his mental health before going ahead with his big day.
“Away from all the controversies and the pressures and the intensities ... My concern was that (he and Mariah) were both in bad places and that James needed some space,” Mr Stokes said.
“I did postpone his wedding ... James was upset at not seeing her. But he wasn't sure. He was obviously engaged to her. He was obviously emotionally involved. The fact it was postponed, he was happy to get the chance to get himself into a better place.”
James still wanted to marry Mariah after his time in Israel but the relationship “fell apart”.
Later, James told The Australian that their relationship was a “mistake” for both of them.