10 Interesting Details About Richard Bransons Ex-Wife

Publish date: 2024-03-31

Kristen Tomassi is an interior designer, architect, and the first of the 2 wives of a British business billionaire and founder of the Virgin Group, Richard Branson. The pair married in 1972 and divorced in 1979. Later, she became the partner of British singer Kevin Ayers with whom she had a daughter, Galen.

Personal Profile

10 Most Intriguing Facts About Kristen Tomassi

10. How Old is She?

Kristen Tomassi was born in 1951  and is currently 72 years old. She is a year younger than her ex-husband Richard Branson who is currently 73  years old and was born in London, England on 18 July 1950.

9. She Was Married To Richard Branson For 7 Years

It was in 1972, a year after Branson was convicted and briefly jailed for tax evasion that he became married to Tomassi. The same year they got married, her ex Branson expanded his business with the launch of a record label with Nik Powell called Virgin Records.

The former couple lasted 7 years until the marriage reached the end of the road in 1979 in a divorce. This was the same year that Branson’s net worth was estimated at £5 million in today’s 6.7 million dollars.

8. Richard Branson Allegedly Cheated on Kristen Tomassi

At the time Kristen was married to Branson, the latter allegedly cheated on her with his current wife, Joan Templeman who is also known as Joan Branson. The pair were said to have met in 1976 at Branson’s recording house where her then-husband Ronnie Leahy was recording an album. At the time, Branson and Heaton’s marriage was about 4 years old.

It was reported that when Joan’s Scottish ex-husband found out, he confronted Branson in a non-violent manner. Although Branson agreed to let Joan be, 1978 came and so did the announcement of the end of Ronnie’s marriage by his then-wife whom he grew up in the same community and started their love affair at a young age.

7. Tomassi and her ex reportedly had an open relationship

Branson would claim that he and his first wife were too young to be married. Perhaps it was part of why they headed for an open relationship until their 1979 divorce.

6. Kristen Tomassi and her ex-husband had an odd sex allergy

In his autobiography, Losing My Virginity, the business tycoon Branson exposed how he would end up having rashes whenever he and Tomassi made love. The rash would take about 3 weeks before healing. The condition send them to different doctors and later led to circumcision.

5. The former billionaire wife fled with singer Kevin Ayers while she was married to Richard Branson

Tomassi and Branson switched partners while in marriage. The architect went for Soft Machine musician, Kevin Ayers while Branson started out with Ayers’ then-wife Cyrille.

Although things did not work out between Cyrille and Branson, Tomassi fled with Ayers and moved to Hydra. With the singer who died in 2013, Kristen had a daughter named Galen. She is a writer, singer, songwriter, and composer.

4. Her first husband broke a number of world records

In the 1980s, Branson tried to break a world record to have the fastest Atlantic Ocean crossing by ship. The ship ended up capsizing before he was rescued. In the second attempt in 1986, the businessman beat the record by 2 hours while sailing with Daniel McCarthy, a sailing expert.

Again in 1987, his hot air balloon Virgin Atlantic Flyer was able to cross the Atlantic. He came out again to break another record in 1991 when he was able to cross the Pacific from Japan to Arctic Canada in a balloon of 2,600,000 cubic feet to break a record with a speed of 145 miles per hour (233 km/h).

Still in the 1990s other records came before that of 2004 when he became the fastest to cross the English Channel in an amphibious vehicle after traveling from Dover to Calais in a Gibbs Aquada in 1 hour, 40 mins and 6 seconds.

In addition, he set a Guinness World Record for crossing from Dymchurch, Kent, to Wimereux in northern France in 3 hours, 45 minutes. This record was previously held by his son Sam Branson.

3. Her ex’s mother died of Covid-19

The mother of Richard Branson, Eve Branson was a British philanthropist and child welfare advocate. Her husband, Ted Branson died in his sleep in 2011. On January 8 2021 from the complications of Covid-19.

See Also: Hanne Norgaard Is Idris Elba’s Ex-wife – 10 Unknown Facts About Her

2. How Rich is She?

It is not known how much exactly Kristen is worth but she earns from her job as an interior designer and an architect. However, her ex-husband who is a business magnate under the Virgin group that includes Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Galactic has an estimated net worth of $5.4 billion according to Forbes.

1. Where is Kristen Tomassi Now?

Based on Instagram, Tomassi has a spouse named Axel Ball. What is unknown is whether they’re married. Still, she has a son Nicholas Ball. Her son Ball is a real estate agent. In addition, she is a grandmother, an architect, and a gardener.

ncG1vNJzZmikn6uysLTLrqqtZpOkunC30aKqrZ2eYsGwucCsqqJlmaPBpr7ErKuippdisabAwKKjrGWRl7y2wIyroJygkaexbq7RmqWsp56oeqbEjLCgn51f

ncG1vNJzZmiZpJ22b7LRmmhnnJmctrWty6ianpmeqL2ir8SsZZynnWR%2BcXnIp6ueqpWowaq6xmabnqyRnrm0ecCbpq6sXae2pLTAq5tmmqKWu7S7zWaqZp2oYsSqssRnn62lnA%3D%3D