Sydney advertising guru John Singleton’s not-so-single love life
Sydney millionaire John Singleton has racked up more wives and divorces in his 81 years of life than Henry VIII. See the women who have wooed him.
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Sydney millionaire John Singleton has racked up more wives and divorces in his 81 years of life than Henry VIII.
Days after the larrikin businessman revealed plans to sell his horseracing interests at Mount White and retreat — for the princely sum of $100m — Singleton was spotted at a private beach house at Toowoon Bay with a new mystery woman.
While he refused to disclose the identity of his new companion last week, the woman in question is said to be affiliated to Central Coast radio station Coast FM.
Coast FM’s station manager Sarah Warry confirmed earlier this year that she had approached Singleton at his Gosford pub the Railway Hotel, given him her card and asked Singleton to come on board as a sponsor, which he did.
In February, as a “patron” of the station, he sat down for an interview with community radio reporter Skaie Hull.
“I will not be on the beach on my own,” Singleton told The Daily Telegraph last week of his pending move to the area.
The six-times married former radio and television entrepreneur confirmed he has a new flame, but was reluctant to divulge further details.
He recently split with girlfriend Kim Dennis, who took care of him after a heart episode in 2021. In addition to the six marriages, Singleton has had a long string of girlfriends throughout his life.
With question marks hanging over where Singleton will lap up the sunshine and, forgive the pun, not Strawberry (Hill) kisses, here’s the run-down on his love life to date:
MARGARET WALL
His first wife was Petersham-raised Margaret Wall, whom Singleton met at a Saturday night dance for teenagers at St Vincent’s in Ashfield.
The couple started dating in 1958 and then married in 1964.
Margaret and John were the first among their friends to declare themselves sweethearts, marrying when he was 23 years old. Their son Jack was born in 1971 but their marriage ended shortly after.
Several of Singleton’s closest friends say that he speaks with heartfelt regret about having left Margaret.
Third wife Belinda went furthest in recognising that Margaret was the soulmate: “Margie, more than anyone else, is his great love. He’s always said he has one regret in his life … I just feel that’s what it is.”
MAGGI ECKARDT
Model Maggi Eckardt was his second wife. They started living together in 1972 and got married in November 1976 before their marriage broke down by early 1981.
Friends say Maggi and John could be lots of fun but a blazing row was never far away.
Maggi had been brought up on Sydney’s northern beaches and went to a ladies’ college in Manly.
Parisian designers Balenciaga and Givenchy launched her to international fame via the lens of US photographer Richard Avedon.
After seven years overseas, Maggi returned to Sydney in 1972 to be embraced as a TV personality and high-profile fashion adviser to David Jones.
Singleton’s agency SPASM was handling some of its advertising and Maggi interviewed its boss, John Singleton, as part of a TV special.
They lived together, or mostly together, for nine years, from 1972 until 1981, having married in November 1976. Opposites attract, but in the case of Singleton and Eckardt, lack of common ground repelled them from a lasting relationship.
Singleton looked after Maggi well in their divorce settlement but it was many years before the two could speak on a reasonably cordial basis.
BELINDA GREEN
His third wife was Belinda Green. They began dating shortly after his split from Eckardt and their daughter Jessie was conceived in November 1981, and then got married in August 1982.
Green had been crowned Miss World in 1972 and became the reigning sex symbol, lusted after by rich and powerful suitors at the age of 20.
When she returned to Sydney from LA to make a more low-key life for herself, Singleton urged Channel 10 to hire her as on-air personality in 1979.
But her appearances were short-lived, with Singleton sacked after seven weeks because of his involvement in an assault case in Adelaide.
Their second daughter, Sally, was born in October 1984.
In July 1986, the gossip columnist Dorian Wild broke the news that Singleton had been “shown the door” by Belinda, sent from their Princes Farm home to live in a city hotel.
“We’ve had a blue. It’s as simple as that,” Singleton was quoted as saying.
“I don’t know if it’s just the sin bin or a lifetime’s suspension. I hope it won’t be too long …”
The following year, during his campaign for the Hawke government’s re-election, the couple parted again.
By the end of 1987 he was joking to the press that “Belinda wants a divorce for Christmas, but I wasn’t planning to spend that much”.
Though they continued to live separately they were photographed frequently in each other’s company over the next year:
“We’re simply mates, that’s all there is to it,” he told Wild in May 1988.
“The fact is, I’m a good friend but a lousy husband and Belinda recognises this.”
LIZ HAYES
Singleton married former 60 Minutes host Liz Hayes in February 1991 but their relationship was short-lived.
He reportedly asked Hayes to keep their marriage, which came shortly after she’d left him over an infidelity, a secret.
JENNIFER MURRANT
Although they technically didn’t get married, Singleton and Jennifer Murrant considered each other to be husband and wife.
Murrant, who was brought up in the southern Sydney suburb of Cronulla, was working at the John Singleton agency in 1991 and was seeing him within three months of his split from Hayes.
She became pregnant 10 months after they started dating and had their son Joe in 1993 and then Hannah in 1995 before their relationship broke down.
JULIE MARTIN
Julie Martin, who was 25 years his junior, was Singleton’s sixth wife.
They started dating from March 1996 and married by November 1997. They had three daughters together — Dawn, Summer and Daisy.
Their marriage was over by 2006.
Singleton is also a doting grandfather after a few of his children had children of their own.
MICHELLE LESLIE
John Singleton freely admits he “loves” his interior designer Michelle Leslie but maintains that despite rumours to the contrary his 12-year relationship with the former model and rock chick is purely professional.
The one-time 2000 Miss World Australia pageant runner-up has also transformed his pubs and properties, but has never been an official girlfriend.
“Michelle’s been working with me for 12 years. I love Michelle. I love our relationship. It’s fun. We have some of the best times ever but serious it is not,” Singleton told The Daily Telegraph.
He had an on-again, off-again relationship with Venessa Merrin between 2015 and at least 2021 where the then-couple escaped Sydney lockdown to reside at his home in Hawaii, before he started dating Kim Dennis.
After reuniting in Australia with Singleton in November 2020, she attended the March 2021 wedding of 2GB radio presenter Ray Hadley to Sophie Baird.
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