TV chef Jasmine Hemsley has sparked a fierce debate after revealing she breastfed her daughter for nearly four years – and is still nursing her two-year-old son twice a day – as she claims it boosts their immune systems.
The wellness influencer and bestselling food writer, 45, shared a video on Instagram of herself breastfeeding her son at a recent family festival, saying she’d racked up ‘4.5 years of continual breastfeeding, including 1 year 7 months of tandem somewhere in the middle’.
Her confession has now caused a debate on social media, with some followers branding her behaviour ‘disgusting’ and accusing her of refusing to ‘let go’, while others have praised her for being a ‘supermum’.
Jasmine – who shares daughter Mahi, five, and son Dash, two, with her long-term partner, photographer Nick Hopper – has hit back at the negative opinions, insisting extended breastfeeding is ‘biologically normal’ and healthy for children.
‘Breastfeeding is a biologically normal way to interact with your child,’ she wrote on Tuesday.
‘Extended breastfeeding of a four-year-old and older is pretty unremarkable in many parts of the world today. I get that it’s triggering for some people for different reasons – I am not immune to being triggered by things that don’t align or didn’t work out for me so I’m super compassionate about that.’
TV chef Jasmine Hemsley has sparked a fierce debate after she revealed she breastfed her daughter until she was almost four
Her confession has now caused a debate on social media, with some followers accusing her of refusing to ‘let go’, while others have praised her for being a ‘supermum’
She added that Dash is not reliant solely on breastmilk. ‘He is nourished by three meals a day and snacks,’ she said. ‘He has a wide social circle, loves sports and is living a great life.’
According to NHS guidelines ‘exclusive breastfeeding (breast milk only) is recommended for around the first 6 months of your baby’s life. Breastfeeding alongside solid foods is best for babies from 6 months.
‘You and your baby can carry on enjoying the benefits of breastfeeding for as long as you like.’
Jasmine shared screenshots this week of some of abuse she received in the wake of that video, including one message that sneered: ‘Do you not have a life? Make sure you have school-age children nursing on your body until you have your next baby.’
Responding directly, she wrote: ‘Everything about this comment is very strange. Yes I have a life, I have a family, I cook, I clean, I have a job, I get my hair cut once or twice a year. This is my two-year-old son… where on earth have your opinions come from?’
However Jasmine said she has mostly found support from her candid breastfeeding post and is edging only slowly towards stopping.
Other followers penned: ‘Love this! What a wonderful breastfeeding advocate you are’;
‘I finding this post so Sweet! I love it. even I never have kids I love when moms feed they babies’;
Jasmine shares daughter Mahi, five, and son Dash, two, with her long-term partner, photographer Nick Hopper
Jasmine shared screenshots this week of some of abuse she received in the wake of that video
‘This is beautiful and so amazing ❤️ WTAF is wrong with some people’; ‘Love this’; ‘Super mum’.
‘I’ve had quite a positive experience, bar the odd glances, but I’ve probably shamed myself more than I’ve been shamed,’ she admitted.
She added: ‘I can see I’m slowly moving towards the end but the end is not yet in sight. Dash stands firm that he’s a big boy and big boys can still have boobies!
‘He’s two years old. But also, breastfeeding a four-year-old is not disgusting. Bullies on the other hand…’
Of Jasmine’s extended breastfeeding, one critic commented online: ‘These moms that breastfeed for over three years just don’t want to let it go.’
Another added: ‘F****** disgusting, your breastfeeding a f****** four-year-old.’
The TV chef, who shot to fame a decade ago with her sister Melissa as the glossy Hemsley + Hemsley duo, admitted she had never expected to feed her children for so long.
‘I honestly thought I’d be done at the one-year mark if it went to plan,’ she said.
‘Then I kept thinking Mahi would wean when I was pregnant and the taste changed – but nope! Didn’t concern her once.’
Jasmine explained that Mahi stopped nursing in December 2023, just weeks before her fourth birthday.
‘She’d taken a cartwheel kick to the head from her friend and cried for a full 30 minutes,’ she recalled.
However Jasmine said she has mostly found support from her candid breastfeeding post and is edging only slowly towards stopping
‘Breastfeeding is a biologically normal way to interact with your child,’ she wrote on Tuesday
Other followers penned: ‘This is beautiful and so amazing ❤️ WTAF is wrong with some people’; ‘Love this’; ‘Super mum’
‘As I held her upstairs in the quiet, nursing in between the tears… that was the last time we nursed. Eight months on she still talks about it and says she wishes she could still be on the boob and has to touch them every day!’
Jasmine, who has authored bestselling cookbooks, fronted the Channel 4 series, Eating Well with Hemsley + Hemsley, and catered for Chanel and Louis Vuitton events, insisted: ‘Research shows that breast milk has antibacterial properties and can be helpful for minor skin irritations like insect bites and stings.
‘It contains substances like lysozyme and immunoglobulins that can help fight off bacteria and reduce inflammation. Breast milk can also help soothe itchiness and reduce redness associated with insect bites.’
She added Dash once soothed a horsefly bite by rubbing his wrist against her nipple. ‘When he woke up the swelling was gone and he didn’t mention it again.’
Jasmine however is also candid about the challenges of extended breastfeeding – confessing she once resorted to a highly unusual method to deter her son.
‘I tried mustard on my nipples one evening with Dash and he didn’t flinch,’ she wrote. ‘It was Dijon though – I should have gone English hot!!’
She added: ‘I don’t mind that my boobs are comfort as well as sources of nutrition, I think it makes sense to me and other mothers. I’m definitely not forever feeding.
‘At this age it’s only a couple of times a day and one of those might just be a 2 min check in which I’m happy for – he knows he can regulate his nervous system with this closeness.’
Despite having built a hugely successful brand around healthy eating and Ayurvedic principles – the ancient Indian system of medicine that emphasises balance through diet, herbs and yoga – Jasmine is used to being at the centre of heated lifestyle debates.
She and her sister have denied pedalling the ‘clean eating’ trend, which is viewed by some as an unhealthy fixation on ‘pure’ or ‘healthy’ foods to the point of obsession.
