Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has ruled out having a sixth child with his wife, former model Jools, revealing she gave him a 'telling-off' during a candid Radio X interview.
The couple, married since 2000, already have five children: Poppy, Daisy, Petal, Buddy and River, who is 10 years old. The family live on a 70-acre estate in Finchingfield in Jamie's native Essex.
'Over the hill' at 51
Speaking to Chris Moyles on Radio X, Jamie said that at 51, he feels "over the hill" and that he and Jools have no plans to expand their family further. "I think we're done. I think I'm over the hill, I'm 51 years old," he confessed.
The TV chef was quick to point out, however, that he didn't expect to have the last say on whether he and his wife would be welcoming another baby. "You know you've got no say in it," he told Chris. "It's if Jools wants another one."
When Chris cheekily suggested Jamie has five children "that he knows of," the father-of-five sheepishly admitted: "I said that once for a laugh and she said 'That's not funny'. She told me off and she's absolutely right."
Empire and family life
Jamie has built an incredible empire during nearly three decades in the public eye. He has opened around 70 restaurants, penned approximately 40 books and fronted more than 20 cookery-based TV programmes - all while raising a huge family.
The 16th-century farmhouse, which doubles as a filming location for shows including Jamie: Keep Cooking and Carry On, boasts six bedrooms - though the celebrity chef has made it clear none will be transformed into a nursery anytime soon.
Dyslexia and bestsellers
Away from his hectic schedule, Jamie has also spoken openly about living with severe dyslexia, which has meant reading has never come naturally to him. Despite being the top-selling non-fiction British author in publishing history and the UK's second-best-selling author of all time behind Harry Potter creator J. K. Rowling, Jamie only read his first novel at the age of 38 - diving straight into the three-book The Hunger Games series with the second instalment, Catching Fire.
Jamie's own Eat Yourself Healthy cookbook, published exactly a year ago, soared to become a No 1 global bestseller, shifting nearly 70,000 copies in its first week alone, ranking it amongst his fastest-selling titles. Yet despite this success, profits at the Olivers' cookery and media empire have nearly halved over the past 12 months.
New ventures and financial dip
Jamie is nevertheless pushing into fresh territory, stepping into the role of celebrity brand ambassador for tracking app Life 360. His micro drama 'Finding Jamie While He's Finding Himself', helmed by Tom Kingsley - known for Stath Lets Flats, Ghosts and Alice and Steve - depicts the celebrity chef "finding himself" through various therapies including hypnosis and flotation tanks while being monitored by Jools and their children via the Life 360 app.
Meanwhile, Jamie and his wife Jools have paid themselves a £1.5m dividend from their company – a significant reduction on the previous year's income. Pre-tax profits at the Jamie Oliver group tumbled to around £1.25m - compared to £2.4m the year before. This decline has been attributed to £1.46m in exceptional costs linked to a business restructure, during which approximately 20 jobs were cut from the Olivers' media team. Profits were further dented by pre-opening expenses for a new cookery school at John Lewis's Oxford Street store in London.
Revenue at Jamie Oliver Holdings remained broadly flat in 2025, coming in at £28.4 million - a modest £160,000 decline on the previous year. Growth across the group's restaurants, franchising operations, cookery schools and television productions helped to offset a considerable drop in income from royalties, licensing deals and endorsements.
Tune into The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X weekdays from 06:30 - 10:00 and on Saturday from 08:00 - 11:00 throughout the UK and on YouTube.
