Bezos has been seeing Lauren Sanchez, former TV anchor and the glamorous wife of talent agent Patrick Whitesell, according to reports
AMAZON billionaire Jeff Bezos was forced to announce his shock $140billion divorce after a magazine threatened to expose his secret fling with the estranged wife of a Hollywood mogul, it has been claimed.
Bezos, 54, has been seeing former TV anchor Lauren Sanchez, the glamorous wife of talent agent Patrick Whitesell, for eight months, reported.
The world’s richest man and wife MacKenzie, 48, revealed their 25-year marriage was over in a joint statement.
Pictures of Bezos and Sanchez together are set to feature in today's with the tag line: "WHAT REALLY tore them apart?"
It claims he cheated on his wife after "whisking his mistress off to exotic destinations on his $65 million private jet" and "sending her raunchy messages and erotic selfies".
He may have to give MacKenzie HALF of his $140billion fortune - which would be the biggest divorce payout in history.
The couple are not thought to have signed a pre-nup before their marriage.
Divorce laws in their home state Washington say wealth made during a marriage must be split 50-50.
Half Bezos' fortune would make award-winning author MacKenzie the world's richest woman.
Their break-up could dwarf the £2.9billion French tycoon Alec Wildenstein paid to ex-wife Jocelyn in 1999.
It comes as the National Enquirer tracked Bezos and Sanchez “across five states and 40,000 miles, tailed them in private jets, swanky limos, helicopter rides, romantic hikes, five-star hotel hideaways, intimate dinner dates and ‘quality time’ in hidden love nests.”
It hits stands with its full story today.
Sources said that Bezos, 54, and Sanchez, 49, – who also works as a helicopter pilot – got to know each other through her husband Whitesell, one of Hollywood’s most powerful men.
He is agent to stars including Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Kevin Costner, Hugh Jackman, plus a host of other A-listers.
Patrick, Lauren and Jeff were even pictured together at a 2016 event for the movie Manchester By The Sea.
But sources say Lauren became closer to Bezos AFTER she separated with Whitesell before Christmas.
£1,951: How much Bezos earns every second
608m: Amazon parcels sent every year
£768bn: Net Worth of Amazon last year
£93m: Value of Bezos's five homes
25 years: How long he and wife were wed
An exclusive source told Page Six “Patrick and Lauren have socialized with Jeff Bezos and his wife for a few years, because both (now former) couples have houses in Seattle.
“Patrick and Lauren Sanchez have been separated for a while. Their marriage has been off and on for a while, and they tried hard to fix things, but in the fall they officially separated. She had told Patrick that she has been recently seeing Jeff Bezos," a source said.
Sanchez and Whitesell wed in 2005 and have two young children.
The mag is owned by Trump ally CEO David Pecker, who openly despises the Bezos-owned Washington Post.
said the relationship between Sanchez and Bezos was not "fleeting".
Lauren, a former co-host on Fox 11’s “Good Day LA,” has been a guest host on ABC’s “The View” and “Extra.”
She was also the original host of Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance.”
Lauren also runs a company called Black Ops Aviation, which specialises in shooting aerial shots for TV shows, movies and commercials.
It has been reported Sanchez met Bezos while her company was shooting aerial video for one of his side ventures, Blue Origin.
They were most recently seen together at Amazon's Golden Globes party on Sunday.
Bezos and MacKenzie, who have four kids, said they broke up after a “trial separation”.
The statement read: "As our family and close friends know, after a long period of loving exploration and trial separation, we have decided to divorce and continue our shared lives as friends.
"If we had known we would separate after 25 years, we would do it all again."
It added: “We remain cherished friends.”
The couple met in New York in 1992 when Bezos, then a hedge fund executive, interviewed her for a job.
He set up Amazon as an online bookstore in his garage in 1994, employing his wife as an accountant for the start-up.
His wife is said to have supported him as he turned it into the world’s biggest stock market-listed firm.
The author, who won the American Book Award in 2006, was even one of the first employees of Amazon.
They have homes in LA, New York and three other US cities worth a total £93million.
The couple are thought to own more land, together, than almost anyone else in the United States of America, according to .
Bezos also owns the Washington Post newspaper.
currently puts his personal fortune at $136.4bn (£107bn), after he became the first man ever to have a wealth of more than $150bn.
Reuters estimates his wealth at more than $160bn thanks to his 16 per cent holding in the online giant.
Amazon's stock edged up $2.84 on Wednesday to close at $1,659.42 leaving it with a market value of £635 billion, more than any other publicly traded company in the US.
Amazon Vice President of Corporate Communications Drew Herdener told DailyMail.com in a statement: "Jeff remains focused on and engaged in all aspects of Amazon."
A version of this story originally appeared on .
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