NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

'I'm the luckiest man alive' - Kim Dotcom reveals his new love

Lynley Ward
By Lynley Ward
Reporter, NZ Herald·NZ Herald·
2 Feb, 2016 12:07 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Kim Dotcom posted this picture of his new girlfriend, Elizabeth Donnelly, on social media. Photo / Instagram

Kim Dotcom posted this picture of his new girlfriend, Elizabeth Donnelly, on social media. Photo / Instagram

Kim Dotcom has once again found love and is in a new relationship following a whirlwind romance.

As extradition to the United States looms large, the embattled internet tycoon has announced he and Auckland woman Elizabeth Donnelly are together.

The couple - who have a 21-year age gap - now share the tycoon's rented waterfront penthouse apartment in downtown Auckland after exchanging text messages on Instagram just eight weeks ago.

This year is starting great. Happy kids. New love. Great legal team. MegaNet is coming together. Beautiful new home. And you, my friends! :)

— Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) January 25, 2016

In an interview with the Herald, Mr Dotcom revealed the couple were head over heels in love.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Said a smitten Mr Dotcom: "I'm in love. We're in love. This is not some fling - this is serious."

Ms Donnelly is a third year business and law student at Auckland University of Technology.

She ended her previous relationship just over a week ago.

Dotcom told the Herald the relationship had taken off at "internet speed".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I thought I would never love again. My heart turned ice cold after my separation from Mona. To love and be loved is what happiness is all about. I'm so happy that I met Liz and that I can feel those butterflies again," Dotcom said.

View this post on Instagram

I'm the luckiest man alive :-)

A post shared by Kim Dotcom (@kim_dotcom) on Jan 31, 2016 at 6:14pm PST

Mr Dotcom said his new partner was incredibly caring and the pair enjoyed spending hours together.

"Before anything she is kind and very considerate and sweet. It's just great to spend time with her."

While the couple were prepared for their detractors they were focused on their new-found happiness and live together as a regular couple.

Discover more

New Zealand

The choice Dotcom gave his new love

02 Feb 10:32 PM
New Zealand

Dotcom: Engagement 'real'

22 Jan 02:34 AM

"We want to go to restaurants and watch a movie without anything to hide," he said.

"We want to enjoy this. We want to be a normal couple.

"There will be all kinds of comments. Everyone will have an opinion. We'll take it as it comes."

Ms Donnelly revealed details of an unorthodox first date spent at the lavish penthouse with estranged wife Mona and the children.

"I came over here (to the penthouse). We just hung out inside and the kids were here and Mona was here but we got on well," she said.

She said her family and friends had been asked to initially keep the new relationship under wraps until the pair were certain where it was headed.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"All my friends know and are cool with it. My family are fine with it too," Ms Donnelly said.

The couple were now excited by the future.

"Everything is going so well," Mr Dotcom said.

"My luck has changed once I moved away from that mansion.

View this post on Instagram

#Family

A post shared by Kim Dotcom (@kim_dotcom) on Feb 1, 2016 at 12:47am PST

"This year is starting great. Happy kids. New love. Great legal team. MegaNet is coming together. Beautiful new home. And you, my friends! :)," he tweeted last month.

Dotcom has been on his own since his wife of five years, Mona, left him in March 2014.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Dotcom said he now planned to divorce her when the official two-year separation period ended.

He said it took a long time to get over his wife leaving and she would always be special to him.

"She has given me my amazing children and I'm very grateful for that," he said.

Mr Dotcom has made it no secret he was keen to have a new partner, even turning to Twitter to find love.

In December, a judge cleared the way for Dotcom to be extradited to the US to face internet piracy charges. His legal team is appealing the decision.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

'Serious injuries': Crews work to free people after Tasman SH6 crash

19 Jun 09:24 AM
Premium
Opinion

Opinion: Jewish communities facing increased threats

19 Jun 09:00 AM
New Zealand

Thirty-one players win $12k each in Lotto's Second Division draw

19 Jun 07:57 AM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

'Serious injuries': Crews work to free people after Tasman SH6 crash

'Serious injuries': Crews work to free people after Tasman SH6 crash

19 Jun 09:24 AM

Emergency services were called to the scene about 8.30pm.

Premium
Opinion: Jewish communities facing increased threats

Opinion: Jewish communities facing increased threats

19 Jun 09:00 AM
Thirty-one players win $12k each in Lotto's Second Division draw

Thirty-one players win $12k each in Lotto's Second Division draw

19 Jun 07:57 AM
Probe into man who abused girl as he read her stories led to another sinister finding

Probe into man who abused girl as he read her stories led to another sinister finding

19 Jun 07:00 AM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP