At Packer`s 1999 wedding to Jodie Meares, Baxter was the best man`s date.
Packer married model and singer Erica Baxter, whom he wed in the equivalent of a civil ceremony on 20 June 2007 after dating on and off for four years. The wedding was at the Antibes town hall, and the second ceremony took place at Hotel du Cap – Eden Roc in Cap d'Antibes on the French Riviera. Together, Packer and Baxter have 3 children: a daughter Indigo, born 27 July 2008, a son Jackson Lloyd, born 1 February 2010, and a daughter Emmanuelle Sheelah, born 22 September 2012. In September 2013 James and Erica Packer announced they were separating.
BILLIONAIRE James Packer and his model wife, Erica Baxter, are expecting their first child in June. Erica is four months pregnant, capping off a dream year for the Packers, who celebrated a lavish four-day, $6million wedding on the French Riviera last June.
The couple have told friends they are delighted about the impending new addition to their family. Due back in Sydney later this week after a summer holiday in North America, the Packers have been able to enjoy some privacy during Baxter`s first trimester. "They are delighted," a source close to the Packers said. "They can`t believe they haven`t been in the spotlight yet, but Erica has a noticeable bump now, so they know it`s going to end."
The Packers enjoyed a family Christmas in Sydney and spent Boxing Day on the family`s luxury yacht, the Arctic P, before jetting to the US for a holiday.
The new Packer heir will be born into one of Australia`s most prominent families, to a father who took over the role of patriarch from the late Kerry Packer, who died on Boxing Day 2005. In the past year James Packer, 40, has removed himself from the family`s traditional media interests to concentrate on building the international gaming empire that began with Melbourne`s Crown Casino.
He has also reportedly maintained his ties with the controversial Church of Scientology and counts the cult`s most famous member, actor Tom Cruise, among his closest friends.
Cruise and his fellow Hollywood star wife, Katie Holmes, headed the guest list at the Packer wedding at Cap d`Antibes in the south of France - the biggest event on last year`s society calendar.