Keith Richards Celebrating His 80th And Christmas With Safari Trip In South Africa

Keith Richards has been celebrating his 80th birthday and Christmas on safari in South Africa.

The Rolling Stones’ former hellraising guitarist took the trip with his wife Patti Hansen, who he married in 1983, to mark becoming an octogenarian on 18 December.

He posted alongside an image of himself grinning while wearing a jacket in the colours of the South African flag: “Thank you for your birthday wishes! Merry Christmas from South Africa.”

Keith’s trip came weeks after it was reported he was planning on jetting off to see wildlife on a safari trip to mark turning 80.

A source told The Sun: “Keith isn’t afraid of wild beasts and loves seeing them roaming in the wild.

“It’s been a dream to do a big holiday with all his family at a luxury resort in Africa and have that once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience all together.

“He turns the big 8-0 in December and he’s hoping to get out before then and live it up in the sunshine and then spend Christmas with his family.”

It’s believed dad-of-five Keith also took some of his extended family along for the ride.

Keith is also celebrating The Rolling Stones having a hit on their hands with their latest album ‘Hackney Diamonds’.

The band’s record shifted 72,200 copies in its first week on sale in the UK alone, making it the third fastest-selling release of the year behind records from Lewis Capaldi and Ed Sheeran.