Sir Ben Ainslie and his new wife Georgie Thompson were rescued by Sir Richard Branson after they encountered a problem with their boat's sail.

The most successful sailor in Olympic history and his new bride, who is a former Sky Sports presenter, were sailing around Branson's Necker Island when Ainslie was forced to radio in for help.

Billionaire businessman Branson, who is the founder of Virgin Group, wrote on his blog: "Seeing as Ben is one of the greatest sailors of all time, what we didn't expect to see was his boat getting into trouble!

"With no harm done, Ben was able to see the funny side - after all, stranger things have happened at sea. We are now hosting him and Georgie on the island for a few days."

Ainslie and Thompson married at Hampton Court Palace last month.