Richard Branson's forgotten first marriage and wild wife swap that destroyed him

As Richard Branson announced the sad death of his wife Joan Branson, the Mirror takes a look at his first marriage to Kristen Tomassi, which crumbled after a wife-swapping party went much further than he'd anticipated

British billionaire Sir Richard Branson has paid tribute to his beloved wife Joan Branson, who has sadly passed away at the age of 80. But few may recall that the Virgin tycoon went through a painful divorce before finding the woman he has poignantly described as his "guiding light".

When Richard first laid eyes on Joan in the bric-a-brac shop where she worked in Westbourne Grove, west London, he was already married to Kristen Tomassi, an American woman who would later break his heart and send him "chasing her all around the world ".

Richard, now 75, and Kristen mar