Is Necker Island cursed? From a mysterious fire to couples divorcing after they visit, it’s not all good vibes at Richard Branson’s tropical hideaway
RICHARD Branson's beloved Necker Island has been left destroyed by Hurricane Irma.
The 67-year-old tycoon took shelter in his mansion's wine cellar, storms raged above ground, decimating the 74-acre island which he bought in 1978 for just £136,000.
Later he posted photos showing the shocking aftermath of the monster storm including trees ripped from the ground and buildings destroyed.
He wrote in a blog post published on : "As you can see from the photos, much of the buildings and vegetation on Necker has been destroyed or badly damaged.
"We felt the full force of the strongest hurricane ever in the Atlantic Ocean.
"But we are very fortunate to have a strong cellar built into Necker’s Great House and were very lucky all of our teams who stayed on Island during the storm are safe and well."
But it's not the only bit of bad luck to befall the Virgin boss' tropical hideaway, which is host to his personal 10-bedroom holiday home and several smaller villas for paying guests and visitors.
Necker has been transformed by uninhabited island to one of the world's most exclusive resorts, with around 100 staff catering for up to 34 guests.
It costs £40,000 a night to stay there - or nothing if you are a showbiz pal of the Bransons'.
In 1965 Daily Telegraph journalist Andrew Walker and photographer Don McCullin were cast away on the island to see if they could survive for three weeks but quit after 15 days.
McCullin said there was nothing idyllic about the desert island, adding: "The mosquitoes and other insects were more venomous and persistent than any I had encountered in Vietnam or the Congo."
Harry Styles, Ronnie Wood and Barack Obama have all been guests on Necker Island.
In 2011, Kate Winslet helped rescue Sir Richard's 90-year-old mum when the main house was struck by lightning and burned down.
The drama of the near-death experience saw her fall in love with Richard's nephew Ned Rocknroll, and they have since married.
But not everyone who goes to Necker Island necks on with the love of their life... some leave looking for the next one.
Scores of showbiz couples who have gone to stay at Necker have later split up or divorced.
TEMPEST TITLES Storm names explained – here’s why storms are named and who decides
Eddie Murphy and his ex-wife Nicole divorced after they honeymooned there in 1993, Kevin Costner and his wife Cindy split up after their visit in 1994, and Mariah Carey - now looking for husband number 3 - is a regular visitor.
It was even reported that Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston were considering a visit... which might mean that the island's couples' curse is so strong all you need to do is think about it and you end up back on the shelf.
