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Tony Blair cast as Rupert Murdoch godfather

Sunday 04 September 2011 19:00 EDT
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Tony Blair is the godfather to one of Rupert Murdoch's children, the media tycoon's wife Wendi has revealed in an interview.

The information was disclosed during an interview with Mrs Murdoch in Vogue magazine, and has never before been made public.

Mr Murdoch's third wife also told the magazine that the former prime minister had been present at the baptism ceremony in March last year on the banks of the River Jordan.

Mrs Murdoch, who gave the interview while publicising a new film called Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, said Mr Blair attended the ceremony "garbed in white," and described him as one of her closest friends.

Photographs of the baptism were splashed across the pages of Hello! Magazine last year, and Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman were named as godparents to Grace, nine, and Chloe, eight.

No mention was made of Mr Blair being godfather in any press reports at the time.

Mr Blair has been accused of being too close to News International during his time in office, and was known to be a friend of the company's former chief executive Rebekah Brooks.

He has defended his relationship with the organisation, saying in July: "For any political leader who's been operating in Britain in the last 30 or 40 years, the power of the media is such that you can't but have a relationship with people who are major and powerful media people."

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