Who is Wissam Al Mana: Meet Janet Jackson’s new husband

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Wissam Al Mana is the man that has captured Janet Jackson’s heart.

At first glance, the Qatari billionaire businessman seems an unexpected mate for the Queen of Pop.

Yet by all accounts the couple appears smitten with each other. They both enjoy spending quality time together and keeping their romantic relationship low-key.

In an interview with VMAN magazine in November 2011, Al Mana had this to say. “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, 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, which 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.

It was only confirmed on Monday that the couple secretly got hitched “last year.”

In a joint statement to Entertainment Tonight, Jackson and Al Mana said, “The rumors regarding an extravagant wedding are simply not true. Last year we were married in a quiet, private, and beautiful ceremony.”

“Our wedding gifts to one another 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 previously kept their relationship quiet and never responded to reports that they were set to wed. The couple had reportedly been dating since 2010.
This is marriage number three for 46-year-old Jackson. She secretly married Rene Elizondo Jr. in 1991. They separated in 1999.

The 46-year-old Jackson first tied the knot when she was 18 to singer James DeBarge, which lasted three months in 1984.

At 37 years old, the fashion-brand mogul is nine years Jackson’s junior.

Follow Kunbi Tinuoye on Twitter at @Kunbiti