One of the more surprising celebrity couplings of recent years, James Packer and Mariah Carey, have become engaged.

Packer, 47, split from second wife Erica Baxter in 2013, and was first spotted with Carey in June last year on the Italian Riviera.

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Packer reportedly proposed to Carey in her hometown of New York on Thursday night, with a 35-carat ring, but no date has been set for the wedding.

According to Forbes magazine, Packer is Australia’s fourth-richest person with a fortune estimated at around $4.7 billion.

He inherited a media empire from his father, Kerry Packer, and now has extensive casino interests.

Carey, 45, is one of the most successful singers of all time, with an estimated net worth of US$520 million.

She released her first album in 1990 and has also received acclaim for her acting in recent years, appearing in films such as Precious and The Butler.

It will be the third marriage each for Packer and Carey, with the latter most recently wed to America’s Got Talent host Nick Cannon, from whom she separated in 2014.

Packer’s first marriage was with swimsuit model Jodhi Meares, which lasted from 1999 until 2002.

His second wife was Erica Baxter, from 2007 to 2013, and they have three children – daughters Indigo and Emmanuelle, and a son Jackson.

Carey has also been married twice before – to record company executive Tommy Mottola and then Cannon, with whom she had twins Monroe and Moroccan.

Third time’s the charm? The spouses of James Packer and Mariah Carey 

James Packer and Jodhi Meares. Married from 1999 to 2002. Photo: Getty

Packer and Erica Baxter. Married from 2007 to 2013. Photo: Getty

Mariah Carey and Tommy Mottola. Married from 1993 to 1997. Photo: Getty

Carey and Nick Cannon. Married from 2008 to 2014. Photo: Getty