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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Courtney Pochin

Rolling Stones star Ronnie Wood's love life - 3 wives, fiery affair and 31-year age-gap

Rock stardom and a raucous love life almost always seem to go hand-in-hand.

And Rolling Stones star Ronnie Wood is no exception, with the guitarist having been had several extramarital affairs throughout his three marriages.

The 76-year-old met his first wife, Krissy Findlay, during his his rise to fame with a British rhythm and blues band in 1964.

Krissy was just 16 at the time and attending Gregg Grammar School in Ealing.

She went on to become a 'groupie extraordinaire' and had flings with a number of famous faces including Eric Clapton, George Harrison, and Jimmy Page, before marrying Ronnie.

Ronnie and his first wife Krissy (Mirrorpix)
The star has had a rather rocky love life (Getty Images for Goldenvoice)

Ronnie recalled meeting Krissy at an Eric Clapton show in his autobiography titled, Ronnie.

He wrote: "Somehow, Krissy became my girl, and Eric used to remind me of that whenever we met. 'You pinched my bird, Woody.'

"Krissy was my girl and I knew she was special, but I can't pretend she was the only one."

The pair tied the knot in 1971 but quickly both began having affairs with other people in 1973.

Krissy is said to have flown to Portugal with Beatles lead guitarist George Harrison, while Ronnie jetted off to Barbados with Harrison's wife, model Pattie Boyd.

Ronnie described his brief affair with Pattie as "fiery and heartfelt" in his book.

Despite the cheating, Krissy and Ronnie welcomed a child together in 1976, son Jesse, who is now married to Fearne Cotton.

But just two years after his birth, their marriage was officially over and they divorced in 1978.

Krissy died of a suspected drug overdose aged 57 in 2005, and Ronnie attended her funeral.

The Rolling Stones star had a 'fiery' affair with Pattie Boyd (Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Ronnie and George Harrison embarked on a 'wife swap', with Ronnie bedding Patti, pictured (Bettmann Archive)

While his romantic relationship with Pattie might have fizzled out, the former lovers always remained friends.

In fact, they reunited in 2022 in London for the release of Pattie's memoir, My Life In Pictures, which features a foreword by Ronnie.

In his own book, Ronnie recalls the first night they spent together, which occurred while he and Krissy were staying with the couple at Friar Park, with both men engaging in a 'wife swap' of sorts.

"One night at George's house, Friar Park, in Henley I took George aside and told him quite seriously that when it was time for bed I would be going to Pattie's room. Seemingly unflustered he pointed to the room Krissy and I were staying in and added, 'I shall be sleeping there.'

"When the time came, the two of us were left on the landing, hands on knobs (doorknobs) of the respective rooms. 'Are we going to do this?' I asked. 'I'll see you in court,' George replied, and in we went.

"Pattie was a little surprised to see me. I told her I thought she was seriously neglected, was going to waste, and unleashed that I felt so strongly for her."

Ronnie and Jo were married for over 20 years (Getty Images)
She was 'devastated' when he cheated on her (Getty Images)

Ronnie went down the aisle for a second time in 1985, when he married model Josephine Karslake, who is now known as Jo Wood.

The pair were married for over 20 years, having two children together - a daughter named Leah and a son Tyrone.

Ronnie also adopted Jo's son Jamie from a previous relationship and Jo was involved in Jesse's life.

Their relationship revolved heavily around Rolling Stones tours, with Jo accompanying Ronnie on the road, but was also impacted by the star's struggle with alcoholism, which he has been to rehab for.

Ultimately their relationship came crashing down in 2008 when Ronnie was unfaithful to her with Russian model Ekaterina 'Katia' Ivanova and he left his wife for the young blonde he'd met at a London club.

Ronnie and Katia were together for a whirlwind 18 months, which the model described later as being an "evil fairytale" after the guitarist was cautioned for assault during a late-night drunken row they had outside a curry house.

While Jo was "devastated" at first by the end of her marriage, she has since said that their split was the "best thing" that has ever happened to her.

She told The Mail on Sunday's YOU Magazine : "I was devastated at first, but splitting from Ronnie really was the best thing that could have happened to me; I got my freedom back. When I was with him I lived in a bubble where my only job was to keep him alive. Since I've been on my own I've rediscovered who I am, literally climbed mountains, taken part in all-women car rallies, and had a blast."

The two have remained civil over the years as they share kids and grandchildren together and often see each other at family events.

"I see Ronnie and Sally (his third wife) at various birthday celebrations, of course, and she lets me have a cuddle with her gorgeous twins," she added.

Sally is Ronnie's third wife and they tied the knot in 2012 (UK Press via Getty Images)
Sally is 31 years younger than her husband (Dave Benett/Getty Images for For)

Ronnie has since claimed he's met the "love of his life" in his third wife, Sally Humphreys, who is 31 years younger than him.

The couple first met when Sally was working backstage at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, but the pair took a while to get together as they both had partners.

Sally previously told The Evening Standard: "Ronnie was married and then Ronnie wasn't married. I have had boyfriends, then I didn't have a boyfriend.

"It had to wait until everyone was clear. But I definitely feel like I have ended up in the right place."

In the same chat, the 45-year-old also opened up about their age-gap relationship, adding: "I would prefer it if there wasn't but there is. But maybe I'm a bit older and he's a bit younger at heart."

They eventually married in 2012 and in 2016 welcomed twin girls, Gracie Jane and Alice Rose, who were born just before Ronnie's 69th birthday.

Ronnie hasn't been shy about discussing his love life with Sally, telling The Guardian they have sex every day.

"You've got to have that every day," he said before reflecting on the greatest love of his life, saying: "My wife Sally."

Since tying the knot, the couple has faced health issues with Ronnie, who was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2017 and had to have part of one of his lungs removed during a five-hour operation.

And later in 2021, he revealed he'd also been diagnosed with a small-cell cancer.

However, he's since been given the all-clear and he claims that working on paintings of his wife and their daughters helped to keep him strong.

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