Richard Branson is 'devoured by a whale shark'
Richard Branson admits that, while delighted with his laser eye surgery, he swam into the mouth of a whale shark
4:00AM BST 31 Jul 2011
Although Sir Richard Branson was delighted with his laser eye surgery – he said that it had him seeing "perfectly" again – he still managed to accidentally swim into the mouth of a whale shark earlier this month.
"I was swimming around one of these gentle giants off Cancun in Mexico – and then, suddenly, I realised I had managed to get myself right inside it," the 61-year-old tycoon told me over breakfast at the ExCel Centre yesterday before the Virgin Active London Triathlon.
"Whales sharks have got enormous mouths and this one just literally puffed me out. They are gigantic, but gentle. I think the story of Jonah most likely came from a whale shark. I can't really think of anything else living in the sea that could swallow you without also killing you."
Sir Richard has much to live for. He can't wait, in particular, for his daughter, Holly, to present him with a grandchild. She marries her boyfriend, Freddie Andrews, in December. "I keep saying to her: 'Why wait for the wedding?'," he teases.
