Jamie Oliver is a regular on television, and most recently is set to appear on Jamie: Keep Cooking and Carry On on Monday. And while we know a lot about his professional life, the celebrity chef prefers to keep his family out of the spotlight, although they occasionally feature on his social media pages and on his YouTube channel. Jamie is married to childhood sweetheart Jools Oliver, and they are the proud parents of five children. They have daughters Poppy, 17, Daisy, 16, Petal, ten, and sons Buddy, eight, and River, three. Read below to find out everything you need to know about Jamie and his family.
Jamie Oliver met wife Jools when they were teenagers
Jamie Oliver's wife Jools
Jamie met Jools when they were teenagers and it was love at first sight. Jools previously revealed that she used to fancy her now-husband when he was a drummer in a band. During an interview with Made By Mammas, the Little Bird designer said: "When I first met him he was a drummer and that's what got me, rock star image you know! He was 17 or 18 and in a band, he invited me to a gig so I went along to some sweaty disgusting place and I went along to watch, and then we all got on the bus home and then that was it." Jools continued: "He was quite popular so I thought 'I want a piece of that', and he was very cool and the man about town. When I was 18 he asked me out on a date and then we had a courtship for a year and we have never been separated since, never broken up."
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Jamie and Jools spent time apart in their early years dating while Jools worked in Tokyo for three months when she was 17, and they would write love letters to each other to keep the romance alive. On Instagram in 2017, the mother-of-five shared a picture of the pile of letters her husband had sent her, which she has still kept. She wrote: "When I was 17 I worked in Tokyo for 3 months and every single day Jamie sent me a letter or a fax without fail! These are only half of them. I started reading them and it brought back just the best and happiest memories xxx missing u @jamieoliver." The couple went on to get married in 2000 and are set to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary later this year.
Jamie with his two sons Buddy and River
Jamie Oliver's children
Jamie and Jools are doting parents and while Jools is at home during the week to look after their children, Jamie – who works away a lot from Monday to Friday – makes sure that he is always at home during the weekends. Despite their privileged lifestyle, both Jamie and Jools want their children to have normal childhoods. However, Jools admitted in the past that it has been hard for her eldest children at school. She told Red magazine: "I don't want them to be aware of anything, but it's too late: they are. They're not stupid." Jools continued: "I think they find it quite hard at school. It can be a bit awkward if the other kids say, 'Can I get your dad's autograph?' My eldest [Poppy] doesn't like it. If Jamie comes to pick her up, it's just too embarrassing for her. So I do all that."
Jamie and Jools' daughter Poppy is heading to university later this year
Jamie and Jools' oldest daughter Poppy is growing up quickly and is set to move away from home for the first time in September when she goes off to university. At the beginning of the year, Jools admitted that she wasn't ready for her first-born to fly the nest in a heartfelt Instagram post. She wrote: "Happy happy new year. The year I have thought about for a long time! This year Poppy will hopefully pursue her dreams and head off for Uni. When she was little I would often think of how it would feel when this moment arrived and jeez I never thought it would feel this emotional! Still a few months to go yet so will just soak up everything whilst I can including this little moment wishing happiness and love for 2020 xxx."
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Will Jamie Oliver have any more children?
Last year, Jools revealed that while she is "very happy" with her family life, she admitted that there is nothing nicer than having a newborn to look after. During a rare interview on podcast Made by Mammas, the Little Bird designer was quizzed by hosts Zoe Hardman and Georgia Dayton on whether or not she and Jamie had finished with expanding their family. "No! I am going to be 44 in November so it would be nice to get it in before I am 44, but you don’t know if anything is going to happen," she said at the time. "After that I think am getting a bit too old. I am very happy with what I've got, but a little baby you can't beat it!"
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