Mariah Carey's ex James Packer says it was a 'mistake' to date her

Singer Mariah Carey (L) and Australian billionaire James Packer, co-chairman of Melco Crown Entertainment, pose on the red carpet before the opening ceremony of Studio City and the premiere of the short film "The Audition" in Macau, China, October 27, 2015. (Reuters)

Billionaire James Packer has finally spoken on his doomed engagement to singer Mariah Carey and why it fell apart.

The businessman, who just turned 50, told The Weekend Australian he was not in a good place when he started dating Carey.

He says when he met Carey in 2015 he was in billions of dollars worth of debt after borrowing big to provide sister Gretel with some of the money left in their father Kerry Packer’s estate. He was also losing money on his Hollywood venture, RatPac, with friend Brett Ratner.

“I was at a low point in my personal life,” Packer said. “Documenting the negotiations with my sister was taking longer than expected. Brett Ratner put Mariah and me together. 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.”

Mariah Carey performs on stage in 2014. (AP)

He declined to comment further, not saying whether or not Carey got to keep the $10 million engagement ring and if she requested a $50 million settlement when they split.

Carey was reportedly heartbroken after Packer called things off.

When asked about Packer’s whereabouts earlier this year, she said: “I don’t know where the ­motherf--ker is.”

Packer also reveals in the wide-ranging interview some strain in his relationship with Ratner, however it is more to do with RatPac and less to do with Carey.

“My disappointment … is there were three sides to the business: the Warner Brothers slate that we broke even on, the stuff we did in China that we broke even on, and the films ­(Ratner) picked that we lost money on. His job was to pick films and to help us raise further ­capital.”

"...Brett is a force of nature. Our relationship is OK. Let’s just say I did more for Brett than he did for me. But it was amicable with Brett in the end.”

This article originally appeared on News.com.au