Jools Oliver, the wife of TV chef Jamie Oliver, has revealed she was diagnosed with autism and ADHD in her 40s, describing the experience of living undiagnosed as "draining".
In a new interview with Cressida Bonas's Lessons From Our Mothers podcast, Jools, 51, said she was diagnosed with ADHD roughly four years ago. Her children's diagnoses then led her to seek an autism diagnosis as well.
Diagnosis after children's assessments
Jools, who shares children Poppy, 24, Daisy, 23, Petal, 17, Buddy, 16, and River, 10 with Jamie, said: "But we found out a couple of our children had autism. So then I thought, my god, that sounds like me. So I went for that. I've got that as well."
Last year, Jamie spoke about there being various diagnoses of dyslexia, ADHD and ASD (autism spectrum disorder) in his "very neurodiverse family".
Jools said she has medication for her conditions but is reluctant to take it. "I've got the medication, but I don't want to take it because I'm scared due to health anxiety that something will happen. It's just one ongoing situation," she said.
Impact on daily life
Jools spoke candidly about the negative impact ADHD has had on her life, explaining that she feels things "so deeply" and that it made the menopause a "double nightmare".
"I just think it's quite draining," she said. "I think it's tiring. I think actually it's ruined, so far, 45 years of my life, thinking it's something else. It's no superpower. It's just a drain and it's just really hard work."
Despite this, Jools said receiving her autism diagnosis has allowed her to understand her children better. "There's such a bond in understanding with the ones that do have autism because I can go, 'Yeah, I get you. I got it. I understand completely,'" she said.
Recent health challenges
The childrenswear designer has faced a number of health setbacks in recent years, including two years spent living with long Covid.
Last year, Jamie alluded to his wife's neurodivergence in an interview where he explained that they "made her life really interesting and really challenging". Opening up about his family's mental health struggles in a later interview, the cookbook author joked that their home life was "bonkers".
"Imagine four neurodiverse people at the dinner table trying to get their point across," he said.
