Joan Templeman is the wife of a famous British business magnate Richard Branson. Branson is popular in the UK for founding the Virgin group of companies, which includes the hugely popular Virgin Atlantic airlines.
He was married twice in his life. hisThe first marriage was in 1972 with Kristen Tomassi. The marriage lasted until 1979. Ten years later he married his second wife, Joan Templeman; an ordinary woman he met early in 1976. Here’s how they met and how their romance emerged and stood the test of time.
the biography
Joan Templeman was born in Glasgow, Scotland sometime in 1948 (her meal and month of birth are unknown). She is one of her father’s seven children who worked as a ship’s carpenter. Although her family was not lacking much because her father was wealthy, she expressed her independence early on, working many jobs to meet most of her financial needs; these jobs included working as a nude model.
Before settling down as a business wife, Joan Templeman was initially married to Ronnie Leahy, a member of a band that played under the name “Nazareth”. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1966, after 12 years of marriage.
How did Joan Templeman and Richard Branson meet?
Their meeting was a twist of fate, it happened at a time both parties were in a marital mess. The couple first met in the Virgin Records studio. Joan who was on duty in the studio was busy making tea when Richard saw her and fell head over heels in love with her. Joan Templeman was not at all intrigued by the many gestures the multi-millionaire showed her as proof of his love for her.
In his autobiography “Losing My Virginity,” Branson said he worked so hard to get Joan’s attention and ended up wooing her into accepting her advances and love proposal. After a long time, she finally noticed it and accepted it. Joan later confessed that it was actually Richard’s humble and pleasant personality that drew her to him. In 1978 he left her husband to be with Richard.
After Ronnie’s divorce, Joan Templeman and Richard Branson moved to an area of London. There she gave birth to their first child. However, the child died a few days later. They called her Clare Sarah Branson. The incident was not so easy to bear. Although it made her relationship with Richard stronger.
Three years later, Joan became pregnant with Richard and bore him her second daughter, Holly. Three more years later, Sam, their first and only son, joined the family.
Joan and Richard finally got married on December 20, 1989, on Necker Island, after 12 years together. They have remained married to this day; over four decades. According to Richard, for more than 40 years, Joan Templeman has been and remains the secret of his success, both a family man and a businessman.
He added that she was very understanding and never cared about the kind of image he wears in public and was never affected by his flirtatious nature which she simply dismisses as ‘typical’. .
The septuagenarian like her husband is a very private person. She enjoys the company of her family and reading. Joan Templeman is a proud grandmother with three adorable grandchildren (Eva-Deia, Etta and Artie). She likes to spend a lot of time with them during the holidays.
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Net value
Joan Templeman’s net worth is just a reflection of her husband’s accumulated wealth. The business investor is worth $5.1 billion, making him the 6th richest man in the UK. In 2007, the business mogul appeared in Time magazine ‘s list of the world’s 100 most influential people.
other facts
In 2017, their Necker Island hotel was hit by Hurricane Irma and left uninhabitable.
It was the second time the Necker Island resort had been badly damaged.
Again in 2011, it was struck by lightning from Hurricane Irene and burst into flames.