Jamie Oliver has admitted the reason why raising his children has been “tricky” and “not easy”.
The TV chef shares five children - Poppy (23), Daisy (22), Petal (16), Buddy (14), and River (8) - with his wife, Jools.
Now, as he prepares to mark his 50th birthday and his 25th wedding anniversary later this year, Jamie has been reflecting on how his family life has been affected by his fame.
In an interview with People, the bestselling cookbook author admitted that parenting has been “tricky”.
“Being the kids of Jamie Oliver, is also tricky. Depending on the kid and their personality, some of them are super embarrassed of me. They don't want me to pick them up from school, God forbid, say anything,” the 49-year-old teased.
“I don't think being us is easy, and that I'm not complaining, I'm just saying it's getting the balance. Just the attention of your dad being known, normally for the right reasons, is embarrassing when you're a teenage girl. But now I've got a 22 and a 23-year-old and they fully handle it, they've got it down,” he praised.
Reflecting on his parenting experience, he added: “I think it hasn't been easy, and we've had a few bumps here and there, but on the whole, so far, so good. And probably most of that credit should go to Jools, but I'd like to think I'm a good dad."
Elsewhere in his conversation, Jamie went on to praise the support of his loving wife.
“Jools gives me the freedom to be able to do the things that I do. And even the good things I do and the campaigny things that matter that I do, they're still self-indulgent, as in, they've got to take a proportion of my brain and my day and my week. So it's definitely a team effort,” he stated.
He also teased their plans to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary with a trip to Amsterdam and a romantic dinner that “will be surrounded by vegs, in classic Oliver style.”
Jamie joked further: “It'll be nice to give herself a little pat on the back and attempt to be romantic.”
