Deng and Murdoch’s first child Grace was born in 2001; their second daughter Chloe was born two years later. His new family coincided with a self-proclaimed moment of renewal for Murdoch, who told a friend, “It keeps me younger … I love having kids around me, and I have a young wife, and it just seemed a natural thing.”
Deng was said to look after the health of Murdoch, a prostate-cancer survivor—he began working with a trainer and started a regimented diet. Despite her involvement in his personal life, Murdoch described Deng as “a bit frustrated” by the limits of her new role as the wife of a media mogul. He then said, “We’ll just have to resolve that somehow”—perhaps heralding Deng’s later role in Murdoch’s businesses.