Jo Wood is an English former model, entrepreneur, author and television personality whose career has crossed fashion, music, business and broadcasting. Born Josephine Karslake in Essex, she began working as a model while still young and later became widely known through her marriage to Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood.
Yet her life is not defined by one famous relationship. She built her own business, appeared on television and wrote about her experiences. Her story contains positive examples of reinvention and independence, but it also includes negative periods of personal change and difficult lifestyle lessons that helped shape her later direction.
Quick Bio
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Real Name | Josephine Karslake |
| Known As | Jo Wood |
| Date of Birth | 15 March 1955 |
| Age | 71 years old in 2026 |
| Birthplace | Essex, England |
| Nationality | English/British |
| Profession | Former model, entrepreneur, author and television personality |
| Parents | Michael Karslake and Rachel Karslake |
| Siblings | Lize, Vinnie and Paul Karslake |
| Children | Jamie, Leah and Tyrone |
| First Husband | Peter Greene |
| Second Husband | Ronnie Wood |
| Career Start | Modelling in the early 1970s |
| Business Venture | Jo Wood Organics |
Early Life and Family Background
Jo Wood was born Josephine Karslake on 15 March 1955 in Essex, England. She was the eldest of four children. Her father, Michael Karslake, worked as an architectural model maker, while her mother, Rachel Karslake, worked as an Avon representative and also made dolls.
Growing up in this environment exposed her to creativity and beauty from an early age. Her mother’s work with Avon encouraged an interest in cosmetics and presentation. She left school at 16 and chose to pursue modelling instead of continuing along a traditional academic path.
Modelling Career and Early Success
Her professional journey began in the early 1970s. One of her first major achievements was being selected as The Sun’s Face of 1972, an opportunity that brought her wider attention and helped establish her in British modelling.
She continued modelling during her early adult years, gaining experience in fashion, styling and public presentation. Those skills later proved useful when she moved into other creative fields, particularly beauty, television and business.
First Marriage and Motherhood
Before meeting Ronnie Wood, she married Peter Greene after the couple eloped to Las Vegas in 1973. Their son Jamie was born in 1974. The marriage later ended, leaving her to balance motherhood with her developing professional life.
She returned to modelling and continued building her career while raising her son. This period demonstrated the independence that would become a recurring feature of her later life, especially when she eventually moved from modelling into entrepreneurship and media work.
Marriage to Ronnie Wood and Family Life
Jo Wood met Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood in 1977. Their daughter Leah was born in 1978, and their son Tyrone followed in 1983. The couple married in 1985 and built a blended family together.
Ronnie adopted Jamie, her son from her first marriage, while she also helped raise Jesse Wood, Ronnie’s son from an earlier relationship. Their marriage lasted for more than two decades before ending in 2009, closing a major chapter of a life closely connected with international rock music.
Life Around the Rolling Stones
Marriage to a member of the Rolling Stones brought extensive travel, public attention and a demanding social environment. Jo Wood spent years around tours, performances and the fast-paced lifestyle associated with one of the world’s most famous rock bands.
Her role was not simply social. She also worked as Ronnie’s personal assistant and helped with styling for stage appearances and photoshoots. That practical involvement gave her valuable experience in organisation, fashion and image-making.
Health Scare and Interest in Organic Living
A major turning point came in 1989 when she experienced a serious health scare. The experience encouraged her to reconsider her lifestyle and begin learning more about organic food, farming and products made with natural ingredients.
This change became important to her future career. Rather than treating healthier living as a temporary interest, she developed it into a long-term philosophy. Her growing focus on organic products later created the foundation for one of her best-known independent business ventures.
Business Ventures and Jo Wood Organics
Building an Organic Beauty Brand
Jo Wood turned her interest in natural living into a commercial project through Jo Wood Organics. The brand was based on the idea that organic beauty products could combine carefully considered ingredients with a luxurious look and feel.
The business launched at Harvey Nichols in 2006 and later expanded into international markets, including the United States and Canada. Her background in modelling and fashion helped her understand presentation, while her interest in organic living gave the brand a clear identity.
Fashion and Other Creative Work
Her professional interests also extended beyond organic beauty. She gained experience in fashion design, including work connected with the label No Scruples while living in New York.
Over time, she combined business with television appearances, books and media work. This broader career helped establish Jo Wood as a public figure in her own right rather than someone known only through her former marriage.
Television Career and Strictly Come Dancing
In 2009, she joined the seventh series of Strictly Come Dancing. She was partnered with professional dancer Brendan Cole and stayed in the competition until they became the sixth couple eliminated.
The programme introduced her to a wider television audience during a period of personal transition. It also added another dimension to a career that had already included modelling, fashion and entrepreneurship.
Writing and Published Work
Jo Wood later shared parts of her life through writing. Her autobiography Hey Jo was published in 2013 and explored her experiences in modelling, family life, marriage and the world surrounding the Rolling Stones.
Writing allowed her to tell her story from her own perspective. It also strengthened her profile as an author and public personality, giving readers insight into the different stages of a life that moved from fashion to rock culture and then into business.
Career Overview and Sources of Income
Across several decades, Jo Wood has worked in modelling, fashion, organic beauty, television, publishing and media. Her earliest professional income came from modelling, while later earnings were connected with entrepreneurial work, television appearances, books and media activity.
Her career is notable because it developed across different industries rather than following a single path. Experience in fashion and beauty supported later business ventures, while her public profile created opportunities in broadcasting and publishing.
Family and Later Life
Family has remained an important part of her public story. She is the mother of Jamie, Leah and Tyrone and has continued speaking about her children and grandchildren in later interviews.
Although the Wood family remains closely associated with music and entertainment, her later public identity has increasingly focused on her own experiences, writing and lifestyle interests. Jo Wood has continued to appear in interviews while maintaining a strong connection with her family.
Legacy
Her legacy comes from the unusual combination of modelling, rock-and-roll history, entrepreneurship, television and writing. She experienced life close to one of the biggest bands in popular music but also developed professional interests outside that environment.
Her ability to reinvent herself is an important part of that legacy. Jo Wood could have remained known only as Ronnie Wood’s former wife, but she created an independent profile through organic beauty, media appearances and publishing.
Conclusion
Jo Wood has lived a career shaped by fashion, music, family, business and reinvention. From leaving school at 16 to entering modelling, living within the Rolling Stones’ world and later building an organic beauty venture, she repeatedly moved into new areas.
Today, she is best understood as a former model, entrepreneur, author and television personality with a varied public career. Her life remains interesting because it combines glamour with change, family responsibility with independence, and difficult experiences with constructive new beginnings.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Jo Wood’s Real Name?
Her birth name is Josephine Karslake. She became widely known by the surname Wood during her marriage to Ronnie Wood and continued using that name professionally.
Her public work under that name includes modelling, business, television and publishing.
How Old Is Jo Wood?
She was born on 15 March 1955 in Essex, England. She is 71 years old in 2026.
Her professional career began in the early 1970s, giving her a public career spanning more than five decades.
Who Are Her Children?
She has three children: Jamie, Leah and Tyrone. Jamie was born during her first marriage to Peter Greene, while Leah and Tyrone are her children with Ronnie Wood.
Ronnie later adopted Jamie, and she also helped raise Jesse Wood, Ronnie’s son from an earlier relationship.
What Business Did She Create?
She created Jo Wood Organics, an organic beauty and lifestyle brand inspired by her interest in natural products and healthier living.
The brand launched at Harvey Nichols in 2006 and later expanded into international markets.
Why Is Jo Wood Famous?
Jo Wood first became known through modelling and later gained wider public attention through her marriage to Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood.
She also developed her own profile through organic beauty, television appearances and writing, making her career broader than her connection to the Rolling Stones.
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