Rupert Murdoch Files for Divorce, Wants Joint Child Custody with Wife

News Corp's chief Rupert Murdoch has filed for divorce from his third wife, the former Wendi Deng, a company spokesman told CNBCThursday.

However, the spokesman failed to comment on the reasons for the split, but CNBC sources can reveal that the couple has been estranged from one another for the past six months.

Murdoch's separation from his Deng surprised the media industry. Deng has been Murdoch's closest companion and she even made headlines when she acted like his personal bodyguard during the phone-hacking controversy that threatened Murdoch's reputation and his business empire.

Murdoch's biographer, Michael Wolf was "absolutely gobsmacked," reports The Daily Telegraph.

"But Wendi once told me that this is his reaction when things go wrong in business or his personal life. He makes a decision and it's over. He feels bad for a day and then forget about it," he said in an interview with Telegraph.

Murdoch, 82, made it known that he wants to share custody of their daughters Grace, 11, and Chloe, 7, with Deng, 44.

Deng was born in China and graduated in Yale. He was working at Star TV, News Corp's subsidiary in Hong Kong, before he met Murdoch in 1997.

Deng signed a prenuptial agreement before she tied the knot with the media titan. So, it's best to speculate that Deng cannot demand a huge slice from his hubby's $11 billion fortune.

Murdoch's second wife, Anna, was lucky enough to take home a whopping $1.7 billion divorce settlement.

The couple's marriage was celebrated on yacht in New York Harbor, only a little over weeks after his divorce with Anna was finalized.

After the wedding, Wendi remained active with Fox's interests in Hong Kong and China. She even produced a feature film Snow Flower and the Secret Fan in 2011, under the Fox Searchlight label.

Late last year, Murdoch cheered his wife on Twitter for her "hard work" on the website Art.sy.

But aside from her unquestionable work ethic, Deng's claim to 15-minute stardom came at the height of the wiretapping scandal that nearly ruined Murdoch's reputation. She slapped a man who tried to smash a cream pie in Murdoch's face when he testified before a parliamentary committee in London.

A former household help, meanwhile, described Deng's volcanic temper, saying that the Murdoch household was like a "war zone." Deng allegedly called Rupert names. "A lot of f-words. She's always yelling, crying," she said in an interview with Telegraph.

"Everyone who works for her hates her and is scared of her," she continued.

Meanwhile, a News Corp spokesman shrugged off the accusations, describing the helper as just another "disgruntled employee."

Deng had also made embarrassing remarks about Murdoch right at the start of their marriage. Once, she told an associate in Hong Kong that "Rupert takes Viagra - but he doesn't really need it." The nasty statement became a hot-selling topic worldwide.

In 2006, their marriage almost ended when Murdoch revealed that his daughters with Deng are not entitled for voting rights in the family trust, unlike his older children. Nevertheless, their relationship was revived during the phone-hacking crisis that forced Murdoch to shut down News of the World, after it was revealed that it was spying on celebrities and other public figures.