Dean Richmond, the owner of Pets Corner, is currently going through a bitter divorce with his wife of ten years, involving assets worth £100 million. Despite the ongoing legal battle, MailOnline has uncovered that Richmond has already found a new romantic partner, who is notably younger.
Last October, the 52-year-old Richmond separated from his wife Karen and left their extravagant £3 million residence in Sussex, which housed their three children.
Richmond now resides in a luxurious £4 million, seven-bedroom house, just a short ten-minute drive away. Reports suggest that his new girlfriend, 38-year-old model Sarah Louise Wiffen, spends a considerable amount of time at his new residence, according to sources close to the couple.
The warring couple have already appeared in the High Court for two divorce hearings with another scheduled for later in the year. A final hearing has been listed for ten days next April.
Mr Richmond, who is known for enjoying a flamboyant lifestyle, runs the UK’s second largest chain of pet shops with 160 stores across the county that have an annual turnover of close to £100 million.
Sources told MailOnline that his marriage started unravelling in 2023 when Karen developed Breast Implant Illness (BII) caused by breast implants she had more than a decade earlier reacting adversely to her body.
The source said: ‘Dean started spending more time away from home, jet setting around the globe for business and holidays while Karen was suffering from medical conditions caused by her breast implants. It put a huge strain on their marriage, things were not good at home for quite a while, and it all came to a head last year.
‘She’s the one that asked him to move out and said that she wanted a divorce because she couldn’t take it anymore.’
Pets Corner tycoon Dean RIchmond, who is embroiled in an acrimonious £100 million divorce battle with his wife Karen (left), is virtually living with his stunning model girlfriend Sarah Louise Wiffen (right)
Mr Richmond, (pictured) who is known for enjoying a flamboyant lifestyle, runs the UK’s second largest chain of pet shops, with an annual turnover of close to £100 million
Karen is a former model who has appeared in magazines such as Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar and Esquire.
She has spoken publicly about her battle with BII and her decision in 2023 to get her breast implants removed. She now describes herself as an ‘explant advocate’ and a wellness coach.
In a podcast she revealed that symptoms of BII she suffered with included chronic fatigue, hair loss, heart palpitations, swollen lymph nodes, dehydration and high anxiety.
Posting on Instagram after the operation to have her breast implants removed, she wrote: ‘Looking back, my health is much better, I don’t have any of the symptoms that I had. It was just my body saying I can’t cope with this. I had these signs but it’s like you’re in denial – you don’t want to listen because I love my breast implants.’
The tycoon and his wife Karen. The warring couple have already appeared in the High Court for two divorce hearings with another scheduled for later in the year
The couple’s former family home was once where the Spice Girls lived. The mock-Tudor mansion is set in five acres of landscaped gardens with stunning views of the Sussex countryside and comes with an indoor pool, cinema room and an underground bar.
Karen has remained in the property with the couple’s three children who are aged 17, 12 and eight.
A member of her household staff told MailOnline that she was doing her best to cope with the end of the marriage but added: ‘Whenever someone goes through something like this it always has an effect.’
After accepting the marriage was over, Mr Richmond was introduced to his new love interest Sophie by mutual friends and is said to be serious about his new relationship.
A source revealed that she has already met his three children and regularly spends long periods of time at his new home, a stunning converted rectory which overlooks the South Downs and a local vineyard.
The property is set in 8,000 acres and is made up of five reception rooms, four bathrooms and has its own gym and landscaped gardens.
Former model, Karen, has remained in their lavish five-bedroom £3 million home in Sussex with their three children who are aged 17, 12 and eight
Karen, who has appeared in magazines such as, Glamour and Harper’s Bazaar, has spoken publicly about her health battles with BII and her decision in 2023 to get her breast implants removed
The warring Richmonds have already appeared in the High Court for two divorce hearings with another scheduled for later in the year. A final hearing has been listed for ten days next April.
MailOnline can exclusively reveal Mr RIchmond now lives just ten minutes away in a stylish £4 million seven-bedroom property (pictured)
Inside the stunning property where he and his new model girlfriend Sarah Louise Wiffen spent time together
The source said: ‘There are not many people who can buy a second home like this, so it just shows how wealthy Dean is. Sophie has become a big part of his life in a short space of time and has virtually moved into his new home. She’s always there and all the staff know her.
‘But he also wants to remain involved in his kids’ lives so that’s why he bought this beautiful house so close to the family home.’
Glamorous Sophie has modelled for the likes of Bentley, and is friends with TV host Joel Dommett and his partner Hannah Cooper as well as former Love Island contestant Arabela Chi.
Mr Richmond refused to comment when asked by MailOnline about his new relationship but suggested Karen may have leaked information about their divorce proceedings.
He said: ‘Has my wife sold you a story? She would be desperate for publicity. It’s a private matter and there’s nothing I have to say about it.’
But he added that he wanted their divorce to be settled quickly and ‘amicably.’
Glamorous Sophie has modelled for the likes of Bentley, and has famous friends such as TV host Joel Dommett as well as former Love Island contestant Arabela Chi.
When asked by MailOnline about his new relationship, Mr Richmond declined to comment
However he suggested Karen may have leaked information about their divorce proceedings (Pictured: Mr Richmond’s model lover Sarah)
Pictured: Sarah enjoying the sun as she lounges in a leopard print bikini
He met Karen before he made his millions when she was in her mid 20s and they went on a blind date that had been arranged by mutual friends.
Karen said in an interview in Hello magazine: ‘The moment we met each other, we both knew this was something special and we fell in love straight away.’
They married in a low-key ceremony at Chichester registrar office in 2015 and Karen is said to have played an instrumental role in helping Mr Richmond to become the success he is today because of her own business background.
She was born in Dundee to a Scottish mother and Iranian father but raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil, before moving to the UK to study business administration aged 18. In addition to her modelling work, she also worked as commercial account director for Elle magazine in Paris.
Mr Richmond got his start in the pet industry thanks to his parents, Mark and Sandra who ran Pets Corner, which at the time was a small family pet shop in Haywards Heath, Sussex which they started in the late 1960s with £2,000.
As their business expanded to six shops, he ran one of them in Brighton at the age of 19 before eventually buying all of them from his parents for £600,000 in 1998 aged just 25.
