Jamie Oliver has said he was ‘dragged’ out of school lessons to go to ‘special needs class’ as he emotionally recalled being mocked for his dyslexia.
The TV chef, 50, was undiagnosed in school which led to him struggling academically and feeling like he was a ‘failure’.
Dyslexia is a common learning difficulty that causes problems with reading, writing and spelling and difficulties with processing.
Opening up about his difficult days in school, Jamie said he was ‘lucky’ to discover cooking as his ‘passion in life’ at such an early age.
He added: ‘I found school a real challenge. I was constantly dragged out of class to go down the corridor to my ‘special needs’ class, and my peers constantly took the mickey out of me.
‘But I was OK, because out of school I had cooking. Cooking was the thing that gave me drive, gave me confidence, hope, and made me believe in my very young self and my worth in the world.
Jamie Oliver has said he was ‘dragged’ out of school lessons to go to ‘special needs class’ as he emotionally recalled being mocked for his dyslexia
The TV chef, 50, was undiagnosed in school which led to him struggling academically and feeling like he was a ‘failure’
‘I was lucky. What school eroded away, I found in the kitchen.’
The dad-of-five was speaking ahead of the launch of his brand new children’s cookbook series, Little Food Library, which is aimed at kids between two and four.
His first four titles will launch worldwide on October 9, giving kids step-by-step recipes they can follow with their parents.
Previously speaking about his childhood, Jamie revealed how he was cruelly called a ‘stupid dunce’ at school and his learning issues left him feeling ‘worthless, stupid and thick’.
Meanwhile, Jamie recently shared how his former model wife Jools is neurodivergent – after confirming that some of the couple’s children have also been diagnosed.
He spoke to Davina McCall on her podcast Begin Again and admitted Jools’ condition can make life ‘really challenging’.
Jamie told Davina: ‘She’s quite in the background and she’s done that on purpose. She’s definitely the rock.
‘She’s got incredible instinct, she’s incredibly kind, very funny. I love her to bits. I can’t really talk for her but she has neurodiversities that make her life really interesting and really challenging.
Opening up about his difficult days in school, Jamie said he was ‘lucky’ to discover cooking as his ‘passion in life’ at such an early age
Jamie recently shared how his former model wife Jools is neurodivergent – after confirming that some of the couple’s children have also been diagnosed
The TV star shares daughters Poppy, 23, Daisy, 22, and Petal, 16, and sons Buddy, 14, and River, eight (pictured in 2016)
‘Of course there’s positives, but there’s loads of things that, you know – she makes us the way that we are. And I’m very grateful for Jools… and an amazing mum.’
Neurodivergent is a term that describes people whose brains function differently, encompassing conditions like autism, ADHD, and dyslexia.
Jamie first met Jools when he was just 18 years old, with the pair saying ‘I do’ in 2000.
In 2023 the couple renewed their wedding vows in a romantic ceremony in the Maldives with their children present.
The TV star shares daughters Poppy, 23, Daisy, 22, and Petal, 16, and sons Buddy, 14, and River, eight.
Jamie said how how he and Jools discuss their children in bed each night and have ‘learnt to understand that their behaviour is because they’re seeing things differently’.
He added to The Sunday Times that being aware of their children’s differences ‘allows you to be a better parent’.
And amid the conditions affecting members of his family, Jamie went on to joke that home life is ‘bonkers’, remarking: ‘Imagine four neurodiverse people at the dinner table trying to get their point across.’
He also went on to say that he feels attitudes towards neurodivergence are generational, noting that ‘older people’ tend to reflect on not having these issues ‘when they were young’.
