( CNN ) -- It 's another slap heard around the world , albeit a legal one this time . Two years after Wendi Deng made headlines for forcefully defending her husband -- News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch -- from a pie-throwing intruder in Britain 's Parliament , she and their relationship are in the news again . Murdoch is filing for divorce from Deng , his third wife , a spokesman for the media mogul confirmed Thursday . It 's not known what precipitated the split to end the marriage that began in 1999 . Speculation , though , has swirled for months about the state of the couple 's relationship . The Chinese-born , Yale-educated Deng was very accomplished in her own right pre-Murdoch , even though critics jabbed her as a `` gold digger '' through her marriage to the media mogul .
News Corp. CEO Rupert Mudoch files for divorce from his third wife , Wendi Deng . Chinese-born , Yale-educated Deng married Murdoch in 1999 ; the pair have two daughters . Deng made headlines when she defended Murdoch from man armed with shaving-foam pie . Questions remain about how Murdoch 's estimated $ 11 billion fortune will be divided .