Moment Jamie Oliver gets visibly emotional as he opens up about his struggles with disability in powerful speech

Daily Mail​

a day ago

Jamie Oliver became visibly emotional as he opened up about his struggles with dyslexia in a powerful new documentary on Channel 4 last night.
The British celebrity chef, 50, is fronting Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution, in which he explores the challenges and issues faced by thousands of school children, whom he says have been left behind in an archaic education system.
In the new documentary, Jamie met with MPs including Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson to advocate for better training for new teachers and more comprehensive screening for dyslexia in schools.
As part of his campaign, the TV star visited Parliament and gave a speech to MPs about the importance of taking action.
During his speech, he became visibly emotional and at one point struggled to speak.
Reflecting on the difficulties faced at school due to his dyslexia, Jamie said: 'I just had nothing to offer.
'So, that feeling of sadness is feeling thick, stupid, worthless, dumb, consistently.'
With his voice shaking before letting out a breath of relief, Jamie added: 'The chips on my shoulder that I've had about education and learning and navigating through education are gone. And I'm relieved about that.'
Dyslexia is a common learning difficulty that causes problems with reading, writing and spelling - but doesn't affect intelligence.
Those with dyslexia may read and write more slowly, confuse the order of letters in words and have poor spelling. It's estimated to affect up to one in every 10 people in the UK.
The documentary marks the latest step in his two-decade-long advocacy, which began with his influential 2004 series Jamie's School Dinners that sought to raise standards in school meals.
The father-of-five said: '10 to 15% of every class in the country is dyslexic. If you're adding on other neurodiversities, we're talking 25% of every class don't really fit into the man-made system, which is education.
He also revealed a personal struggle in the documentary: 'I knew things were bad when my own six and seven-year-olds were reading better than me.
'As the dad reading them their night-night story, I'm the second biggest author in the country.
'It's bonkers, but I really struggled to read at primary school. I read my first book when I was 33 or something like that, and it was all those feelings of just feeling s*** and that you had nothing to offer the world, and like everyone else seems to be getting it, and you don't.'
Jamie explained: 'Dyslexia is a learning difference that affects the ability to read, spell, write, process and remember information.'
The documentary saw the TV chef look into the challenges dyslexic children have to tackle at school and push for more support from the Government
The programme also heard from celebrities such as Holly Willoughby and Jamie Laing, who opened up about their own struggles with dyslexia behind the scenes.
At points, letters on the screen would be jumbled or back to front, to give viewers a small insight into what life can be like living with dyslexia.
Jamie revealed shocking statistics that showed 50 per cent of prison inmates have dyslexia, and those with the condition are four and a half times more likely to get expelled at school.
In the 1980s, when Jamie was at school, he said being taken out of class if you had a disability was 'not cool'.
He recalled: 'It doesn't take long for feelings such as being stupid and being dumb, even at a primary school level. I kind of wrote myself off.'
As well as reading, dyslexia also affects oral language, organisation and memory - all of which are skills tested at school.
As result, when Jamie looked over his old school reports, common complaints read: 'forgets to hand his homework on a regular basis', 'easily distracted' and 'needs to be more consistent'.
At the end of the documentary, Jamie met with Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson to campaign for further reforms to the school system.
Ms Phillipson acknowledged the problem: 'One in four children being left behind by the education system is a sign that change is needed.'
She committed to reforming teacher training on neurodiversity for all new teachers starting this September.
She also promised a 'really big upskilling of the workforce' to better support pupils with special needs.
He concluded: 'Now it's over to parliament. We want some fundamental change to make our schools inclusive.
'I genuinely think that school is on the front line of hope and optimism and a better more positive Britain. This is just the beginning.'
Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution is available to watch now on Channel 4.