The recent passing of Joan Branson at age 80 has prompted Sir Richard Branson to pay moving tribute to his wife of 50 years, describing her as his "guiding light" and "best friend". However, long before this enduring partnership, the Virgin billionaire experienced a painful first marriage that ended in dramatic circumstances involving a wife-swapping arrangement that spiralled out of control.
The Early Marriage That Preceded Joan
Before meeting Joan in a Westbourne Grove bric-a-brac shop, a young Richard Branson had already married American architecture student Kristen Tomassi in the summer of 1972. Branson was just 21 years old at the time, though already establishing himself as the head of Virgin Records, while his bride was only 20.
The couple exchanged vows at Holy Cross Church in Shipton-on-Cherwell, near Branson's Manor Studios, beginning what appeared to be a promising union. However, by the decade's end, their marriage would crumble in spectacular fashion, leaving Branson heartbroken and "chasing her all around the world" in a desperate attempt at reconciliation.
The Fateful Wife-Swapping Party
According to late psychedelic singer-songwriter Kevin Ayers, who died in 2013, the marriage's downfall began at a wife-swapping party hosted by Branson himself at his Notting Hill home. In a 1998 interview with the Mirror, Ayers recalled the seventies gathering as a "rich, middle-class affair with all the usual drink, drugs and rock and roll".
Ayers, then being courted by Virgin Records, described an immediate connection with Kristen, stating: "I suddenly became aware of this beautiful, willowy blonde - Kristen - and there was an immediate spark, a life-changing flash." Despite knowing she was Branson's wife, Ayers maintained contact, sending postcards that simply read "Hi, it's me".
The situation escalated when Branson allegedly arranged a more intimate wife-swapping evening aboard his houseboat on Regent's Canal in Little Venice. With candles, scatter cushions and atmospheric music setting the scene, both couples drank copious amounts of wine before the evening took an unexpected turn.
Conflicting Accounts of That Evening
In his 1998 autobiography, Losing My Virginity, Branson recalled that Ayers and Kristen departed for the bedroom together while he unsuccessfully attempted to seduce Ayers' then-wife Cyrille on the sofa. However, Ayers remembered events quite differently.
"During the evening, he disappeared with Cyrille into the bedroom, leaving me and Kristen looking at each other over the remains of the meal," Ayers claimed. "Kristen seemed nonplussed, as if she'd been expecting it, but I realised this was going to be a very important evening for me."
Ayers insisted that while they became intimate that night, they didn't have sex, describing it instead as "a developing passion" rather than a one-night stand. He noted that Cyrille later complained about Branson's frugality, revealing: "Cyrille told me, 'Branson was so cheap the b*****d wouldn't even pay my taxi fare home.'"
The Aftermath and Heartbreak
In the following weeks, Ayers and Kristen developed their relationship through pub visits and concerts, eventually becoming lovers. Ayers assumed Branson knew about their growing connection, given his boasts about having an open marriage. However, when the reality of losing his wife became apparent, Branson reportedly confronted Ayers during a Hyde Park concert, emotionally demanding: "How could you do this to a friend, stealing my wife?"
Ayers responded: "No one steals a woman - she's made up her own mind." Despite this, Branson launched a determined campaign to win Kristen back, making late-night phone calls and sending desperate letters. "It's pathological, because he can't stand losing," Ayers observed. "For a year, he kept up a battery of letters and calls to Kristen, saying, 'How can you leave me?'"
Ayers described the experience as "nerve-racking and heart-wrenching", with Kristen feeling tremendous guilt that Branson allegedly manipulated. Despite the pressure, Kristen remained with Ayers, with the singer noting simply: "We fell in love - it was as simple as that."
Life After Branson
Ayers and Kristen enjoyed what he described as an "idyllic" early period together, settling in Provence where they welcomed daughter Galen before purchasing a home in Majorca. However, their relationship began to unravel after five years, with Ayers attributing the breakdown to the intense social scene in Majorca and his declining career.
"My precarious lifestyle was attractive, but it drove her mad," Ayers reflected. Kristen eventually left Ayers for wealthy German property developer Axel Ball, with whom she had two more children and found lasting happiness.
Richard and Kristen's divorce was finalised in 1979, and though initially devastated, Branson later gained perspective on their split. In a 2014 Guardian interview, he acknowledged: "We were probably a bit too young. I'm still friends with my ex and her children get on well with mine."
Finding Lasting Love With Joan
Just ten years after his painful divorce, Branson found enduring happiness with Joan, marrying her on his Necker Island in 1989 - a property he later admitted purchasing to impress her. Their partnership spanned five decades until Joan's recent passing, with Branson describing her as "the most wonderful mum and grandmum our kids and grandkids could have ever wished for".
In his moving tribute, the billionaire entrepreneur captured the depth of their connection: "She was my best friend, my rock, my guiding light, my world. Love you forever, Joan x." The contrast between his brief, turbulent first marriage and his half-century with Joan highlights how Branson's personal life eventually found the stability that eluded him in his youth.
