Jamie Oliver opens up about 'desperately hard' health battle over the years

Daily Record

04-06-2025

Jamie Oliver has openly discussed his journey with dyslexia after being diagnosed last year, having not been aware of the condition for all of his life
Jamie Oliver has opened up about the realities of ageing as he struggles with turning 50 and his efforts to stay as healthy as possible for as long as he possibly can.
Jamie has been one of the UK's most famous chefs for decades, after bursting on to the scene in 1999 when he first started filming The Naked Chef at the age of just 23. Since then, the chef has gone on to present a variety of cooking shows as well as having his own programmes.
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Jamie has continued to work hard raising awareness of the importance of healthy eating, nearly three decades after his career starter show aired.
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Now the star has started to talk more about his struggles with living with dyslexia, a form of neurodivergence which he was diagnosed with earlier this year.
Speaking about his overall health, Jamie told the Sunday Times he was working hard to preserve what strength and vitality he had left.
He expressed: "I'm trying desperately hard to be the healthiest version of me, working on the right things at the gym and physiotherapy. Hopefully I've got a few more years in me yet."
But this is not the first time the celebrity chef has talked about his physical health. Back in December 2024, Jamie spoke about struggling with several painful slipped discs in his back.
At the time he spoke to The Times telling them about the demands of his job, and how it has caused great strain on his body. He said: "I've had four years of three slipped discs. It's about managing it. My job doesn't allow me not to work.
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"If I stop, this whole thing falls apart. I've had weeks where I've been able to stand for only 40 seconds at a time."
However, it isn't just his physical health he is focussing on, Jamie is looking into his mental health too. The star is coming to terms with his dyslexia diagnosis and is only know just releasing he has been living with a condition he didn't know anything about for most of his life.
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Dyslexia is a form of neurodevelopmental disorder, it can also be known as a learning difficulty as it affects how the brain processes information.
Just like other forms of neurodivergence such as dyspraxia, dyslexia can affect memory, personality and, in some cases, people's ability to do physical movements.
Jamie has been sharing his experience of finding out about his dyslexia diagnosis, and what it actually means, with Channel 4. He is producing a new documentary titled 'Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution'.
The chef revealed that filming the documentary has had a strong impact on him. Jamie told the Sunday Times just how emotionally the journey has been.
He admitted: "Genuinely, of all the things I've ever done, this documentary is the most viscerally painful. I've seen so many high-flying, talented grown men cry about this - I've just done it to you - the concept of being worthless [when you're] young is real. It's really triggering."