JAMIE LIVER "I've realised I'm a massive feminist!"

At school he struggled with dyslexia, so writing a kids’ book is a dream come true for Jamie Oliver. In an emotional interview, the TV chef reveals how he conquered his demons, why women rock his world and the thrill of marrying wife Jools all over again

- JULIET RIEDEN

Jamie Oliver doesn’t have happy memories of school. “Cooking saved me when I was struggling with the writing stuff at school,” he says with a gentle sigh. “The life I was living at school was one of just being s*** at everything and then [being sidelined as] special needs, getting taken out of classes and stuck in an attic with three dudes, having a very analogue approach to our problems.”

Jamie’s “problem” was that he was dyslexic, although at the time it wasn’t diagnosed or understood. When he looked at a collection of words in sentences they would dance around the page and mess with his brain.

Jamie’s teachers assumed he was simply not very bright and his immediate response was to attempt to focus his mind by tapping on the desk, which only got him into more trouble.

Now, at 47, Jamie sees his dyslexia as a gift. Despite the heartache at the time, it triggered a rather marvellous well of unconventional creativity, allowing him to see things differently from everyone else. And that became his silver bullet as his diverse businesses flourished, branching out in all sorts of directions, which is why it’s so frustrating that back then his teachers only saw a boy with learning difficulties.

“I think there are about 20 or 30 per cent of kids who are neuro-diverse and struggle with traditional learning,” he tells me. “I really do believe in teachers and I really do believe in schools, but I don’t think the government takes it seriously enough and allows these kids to find the confidence to feel hopeful about their challenges.”