Wissam Al Mana has captured Janet Jackson’s heart.
The billionaire businessman from Qatar may seem like an unexpected match for MJ’s sister, but not really. They’ve been inseparable for about three years.
They just don’t broadcast it. What a concept.
Amid months of rumors that they were engaged and planning a huge wedding, it was only confirmed on Monday that he already married Janet Jackson.
Last year.
In a joint statement to Entertainment Tonight, Janet and Wissam Al Mana said, “The rumors regarding an extravagant wedding are simply not true.”
“Last year we married in a quiet, private, and beautiful ceremony. Our wedding gifts were contributions to our respective favorite children’s charities.”
“We would appreciate that our privacy is respected and that we are allowed this time for celebration and joy. With love, Wissam and Janet,” they added.
The two have kept their relationship quiet and never responded to reports that they were set to wed, yet by all accounts they are smitten with each other.
They both enjoy spending quality time together and keeping their romance low-key. In an interview with VMAN magazine in November 2011, Al Mana said:
“I don’t date Janet Jackson. She is my girlfriend; there is a difference. She is a very special and talented woman who never ceases to amaze me.”
As of 2012, Wissam Al Mana’s net worth was said to be an estimated at $1 billion. This makes him one of the richest retail investors in the Middle East.
Running the family business with his two brothers, Al Mana has made his fortune as the managing director of Middle-East-based Al Mana Retail Group.
His company represents Armani Exchange stores and other high-end retailers such as Giorgio Armani, Hermes, Balenciaga, and Roberto Cavalli.
Al Mana also owns stakes in the Saks Fifth Avenue stores in Dubai, Bahrain, and Kuwait, and is opening the flagship A/X Exchange in a Qatar shopping mall.
This is marriage number three for Janet Jackson, 46, who was previously hitched to Rene Elizondo Jr. (1991-1999) and James DeBarge (1984).
At 37, Al Mana is nine years her junior.
Congratulations again to both!