James Packer? Mariah Carey doesn’t know him. Since the release of her memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, there has been much chatter online regarding what the Grammy winner chose to write about and which major life events she glossed over — including her short-lived engagement to the businessman.
“If it was a relationship that mattered, it’s in the book. If not, it didn’t occur,” Carey, 50, told The Guardian in an interview published on Monday, October 5. “[James and I] didn’t have a physical relationship, to be honest with you.”
The “Always Be My Baby” singer got engaged to Packer, now 53, in January 2016 after less than a year of dating. As documented on her E! series, Mariah’s World, the former couple had a rocky relationship, which culminated in a blowout argument on a trip to Greece, where the Australian billionaire called off their engagement in October 2016. Carey later sold her 35-carat diamond ring for more than $2.1 million.
“Being in such a public relationship was fun for James at first, but then it got to be too much and he wanted his normal life back,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly at the time. A second insider countered that Packer had “not been present” enough for his then-fiancée.
Soon after the split, Carey stepped out with her backup dancer Bryan Tanaka, whom she has been dating ever since. She called the choreographer, 37, her “boyfriend” for the first time in February 2017.
After The Meaning of Mariah Carey hit bookstores on September 29, Tanaka took to Instagram to congratulate his girlfriend, writing, “The world gets to know you a lot more today. Witnessing you write, record, and create this masterpiece was magical. You inspire me all the time. I’m so happy for you. I’m so grateful to love and support you in all you do. Congratulations babe! You did it!”
Carey was previously married to Tommy Mottola from 1993 to 1998 and Nick Cannon from 2008 to 2016. She and the Masked Singer host, 39, share 9-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe.
Listen to Us Weekly’s Hot Hollywood as each week the editors of Us break down the hottest entertainment news stories!