Jamie Oliver has revealed the surprising moment his wife Jools threatened to walk out on him after more than two decades of marriage. The TV chef, 50, who shares five children with Jools, admitted she put her foot down when he considered buying his own plane. Speaking to Chris Moyles on Radio X, Jamie said: “She said, ‘You thinking about buying a plane?’ I went, ‘No.’ She goes, ‘If you buy a plane, I’m leaving you!’”
Laughing at the memory, Jamie explained that while he never did splash out on the aircraft, Jools once gave him flying lessons as a birthday present. “She bought me two lessons, and I never took it up. And I didn’t really know, and I drive past it when I drop the kids off to school. But it’s not what you think it is. It’s this incredible patchwork quilt of airfields around the country, of these people that are just obsessed by adventure and navigating and aviation.
"And it’s the cutest thing ever!” He revealed he went on to complete his first solo flight. “I got out of my class – I did five take-offs, five landings.
"He goes, ‘Pull over here.’ He goes, ‘Right. I’m getting out now. You’re doing your first solo. You on your own, Jack Jones. You know, 1,000 feet doing a six-mile circuit!’”
Jamie and Jools first married in June 2000 and renewed their vows two years later in a sun-soaked family ceremony in the Maldives.
The couple’s five children — Poppy, 23, Daisy, 21, Petal, 16, Buddy, 14, and River, nine — joined them for the beachside occasion.
Jools stunned in an off-the-shoulder white gown, matching her daughters in floaty dresses, while Jamie opted for a powder blue suit. Sharing the happy news online, he wrote: “Morning all, Me & @joolsoliver got married again! Yep, after 23 years together.
"We thought it would be a special moment to celebrate renewing our wedding vows before the kids all start leaving the nest.
"It was really special, funny and romantic with the words in the ceremony making more sense having come this far together.”
Reflecting on their second wedding, he added: “It seems like a blink since the first wedding which we kept very private apart from the paparazzi at the village church, we thought it would be a happy and joyful moment to share with you all this Easter.
“We’ve always dreamed of going to the Maldives, and it was just as you would have dreamed, simply amazing! A massive thank you to all the team at @discoversoneva for blowing our minds and making this moment so special and memorable, big love guys, Jamie.”
Jamei recently revealed his wife Jools is neurodivergent, just months after confirming some of their five children have also been diagnosed.
Speaking on Davina McCall’s podcast, the chef said Jools’ condition can make life “really challenging,” but praised her as “the rock” of their family.
