Mariah Carey’s Ex Speaks out About Breaking off Engagement

Mariah Carey’s ex-fiancé, James Packer, is speaking out about his whirlwind romance with the pop singer for the first time and their short-lived engagement.

During an interview with The Australian, Packer, 50, explained that he has been a recluse at his Buenos Aires home since calling it quits with Carey in October 2016.

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Packer says that he was not in a good place in his life when he got involved with Carey. His business empire was swirling in debt and he was trying to spend more time in Los Angeles with his first wife, Erica.

Furthermore, Packer was under strain from a difficult negotiation process with his estranged sister, Gretel. The two were in a disagreement about how they would split and invest the money left behind by their late father, Kerry.

“I was at a low point in my personal life. Documenting the negotiations with my sister was taking longer than expected,” he said.

As for Carey, Packer had nothing but good things to say about her as a person. However, he did mention that their relationship was a “mistake.”

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“She was kind, exciting and fun. Mariah is a woman of substance. She is very bright. But it was a mistake for her and a mistake for me,” he said.

While some accused Packer of trying to enter into the public spotlight by dating Carey, he said that his interests were to lay down roots closer to his first wife and children.

“I was attempting to build a business in North America to be closer to my kids. The travel was unsustainable. It hurts me a lot to be away from them. But I don’t want to be in LA at the moment,” he said.

Packer says that he and Carey are no longer friends, but he does have a good relationship with Erica.

“It is my biggest regret that I let my marriage to Erica fail,” he said. “It is what it is and she is doing an incredible job with the kids and we are in a great place.”

At the time, sources close to Carey and Packer explained that there were several issues that caused their breakup.

“James had huge reservations about Mariah’s new reality TV show and the fact that she was willing to expose their lives to the world,” a source told Woman’s Day magazine.

An incident that reportedly had a huge impact on the couple’s relationship was when Mariah chose not to fly to Australia to attend her 48-year-old fiancé’s birthday party.

A friend close to the couple also told Page Six that there was a falling out between the two when Carey didn’t come visit Packer in Australia.

“When she refused to come to Australia for [Packer’s sister’s] birthday party it created a lot of tension in the family,” the insider said. “His mom hated to even hear her name mentioned, and James’ tight circle of friends never really thought they would marry.”