Jools Oliver says she has autism and ADHD diagnoses

Mixed · 2Jools Oliver, the 51-year-old wife of TV chef Jamie Oliver, has said she has been diagnosed with both autism and ADHD. 1 2 Mixed · 2She spoke on the Lessons From Our Mothers podcast, saying she found out she had ADHD about four years ago; after learning that a couple of her children were autistic she thought it sounded like her and sought an autism diagnosis too. 1 2 Centre · 1The Evening Standard names the podcast's host as Cressida Bonas, and says Jools was in her 40s when diagnosed. 2

Mixed · 2She said she has been prescribed ADHD medication but does not want to take it because health anxiety makes her scared that something will happen. 1 2 Mixed · 2She described ADHD as draining and said it had "ruined, so far, 45 years of my life, thinking it's something else", adding: "It's no superpower." 1 2 Mixed · 2She said she feels things deeply and that menopause is a "double nightmare" alongside neurodiversity, while the autism diagnosis has given her a bond of understanding with her autistic children. 2 1

Right · 1The Daily Mail also reports that she has social anxiety and 'came out' on her 50th birthday invitation last year, telling guests they could decline or leave without excuses; she also said she once doubted her daughter Daisy's ADHD, after Daisy went to A&E, and that Daisy did well once medicated. 1 Left · 1The Independent also quotes her as saying "a lot of people didn't come and were turned off" after the invitation, but that she thought: "this is me. I'm afraid this is the new 50." 3 Mixed · 2The couple have five children: Poppy, 24, Daisy, 23, Petal, 17, Buddy, 16, and River, 10. 2 1

Mixed · 2Last year Jamie Oliver spoke about his family's neurodiversity, saying his wife had "neurodiversities that make her life really interesting and really challenging" and joking that home life is "bonkers" with "four neurodiverse people at the dinner table". The Mail says this was the first time Jools had spoken publicly and confirmed her specific diagnoses. 1 2 Mixed · 2The Independent and the Mail place Jamie Oliver's earlier remarks on Davina McCall's Begin Again podcast in 2025, with the Independent noting he did not say she had ADHD or autism. The Independent gives the couple as having "four children", whereas the Mail and the Standard list five. 3 1 Left · 1The Independent adds NHS England's 2025 estimate that nearly 2.5 million people in England have ADHD, including undiagnosed cases, and King's College London research estimating that 91.45 per cent of autistic men and 79.48 per cent of autistic women aged 40 to 59 are undiagnosed. 3

Mixed · 2The Standard adds that she is a childrenswear designer who has had health setbacks, including two years of long Covid; the Mail says she runs the brand Little Bird. 2 1