Tziporah Malkah, formerly known as Kate Fischer, appeared on Sunrise and spoke to KIIS FM’s Kyle and Jackie O this morning to discuss the mental health and sudden, surprising retirement of her ex-fiancée James Packer.
Billionaire businessman James Packer has announced he’s stepping down as the director of his company Crown Resorts, citing “personal reasons.”
Former model, Tziporah, said Packer must be “really suffering” to decide on that move because his business was re the “love of his life.”
Tziporah and James met in 1998 and dated for five years. She revealed she’d seen evidence of his mental health struggles even then.
“He would go into his shell and be non-communicative for days at a time,” Tziporah told the Sunrise hosts.
She also reavlled to KIIS FM that the stressed out billionaire would take really long showers.
“I once had a peak and he was just standing there with his arms across his chest with water beating on his head just looking so sad.”
Tziporah, now a care worker in Melbourne, applauded James for his bravery in addressing his mental health demons, saying we all need to remember it can happen to anyone.
Story continues after video.
The news James Packer stepping down as the director Crown Resorts was confirmed on Wednesday morning via a short statement.
“We have appreciated James’ contribution to the Board and respect his decision to step down from his role as a director at this time,” Crown Resorts boss John Alexander said.
While a spokesperson for the 50-year-old’s private investment company Consolidated Press Holdings also released a statement, which read: “Mr Packer is suffering from mental health issues. At this time he intends to step back from all commitments.”
“Mr Packer is suffering from mental health issues. At this time he intends to step back from all commitments.”
James’ shock resignation comes amid a disastrous run for the father-of-three.
Most recently, he was caught up in a corruption scandal with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In October 2016, Packer called off his whirlwind engagement to pop superstar Mariah Carey, the most recent in a string of very public relationship breakups.
Tziporah and James
Was it a low blow for Tziporah to speak out?
It’s not the first time Tziporah has spoken publicly about her relationship with James, though previously it has been with less sympathy.
Speaking with Channel Ten’s Carrie Bickmore in 2017, Tziporah said of James Packer, “I hate talking about him, I hate being defined by him. I had a very promising career, I feel like I was a bud snapped off the vine before I had the time to bloom.”
Tziporah went on to explain that her relationship with James wasn’t as picture perfect as it might have originally seemed, revealing that James was extremely controlling in how she was to spend her time.
“I had to stop work,” she said. “He would say ‘It’s tacky. You’re going to be my wife and it’s tacky that you should go out like you need to work’. I was allowed to do a play at the Sydney Opera House, because that had some substance to it. And I just went shopping and coffee with friends.”
Tziporah added that their five year relationship was undoubtedly strained by the stresses of his work.
“He was under so much pressure and stress. He would come home and sometimes not talk to me,” she said.
“He really, really loved me and it was exciting and everything, but then all that changed — it was like, ‘it’s too hard to have you in my life, you can be Mrs Packer and have all the credit cards, you can do whatever you want, but you have to let me do whatever I want’. And that’s not a marriage — that’s not the sort of marriage I want.”
