‘Deeply scary’: Jamie Oliver praises wife Jools as he reveals she has long COVID

Jamie Oliver has praised his wife Jools after revealing she has been suffering from long COVID for two years.

The celebrity chef, 47, told the Daily Mail Weekend magazine his wife had been “really affected” by the virus.

He said: “She’s had bad COVID and long COVID so she’s been really affected by it, sadly.

“She’s okay but still not what she wants to be. It’s been two years, she finds it deeply scary.”

Oliver, who rose to fame on cookery show The Naked Chef, said his wife, a childrenswear designer, had been “an absolute superstar” over the past two years.

The pair have seen specialist medical professionals but her symptoms have not eased as the condition is still being learned about, he said.

“We’re all over Harley Street like a rash but no one really knows anything. The data on long COVID is still piling in. She’s been an absolute superstar,” he said.

This month, experts from King’s College London said there seem to be three “subtypes” of the condition, each with their own set of symptoms.

Sufferers can experience fatigue, brain fog, shortness of breath, muscle ache and heart palpitations.

Oliver and his wife have been together since they were 18, married for 22 years and have five children together.

Speaking about their relationship, he said: “We went to London with nothing but dreams and aspirations. Luckily, we were able to solidify our relationship before it all kicked off. Then we did it together. It was exciting.

“When I first started going out with Jools, she was like, ‘I’ll never be able to have kids’. She had polycystic ovaries. But here we are with five.”

The Olivers’ children are Poppy, Daisy, Petal, Buddy and River.

The chef added: “I haven’t done teenage boys yet but I found teenage girls very hard. I tried to be an on-point dad, I’d give myself nine out of 10 for effort.

“Then the minute they get to 13, you’re dumped. You’re outside looking in. All you want is a few hugs a day and to be appreciated but there’s a lot of chemistry going on.

“You never get the kid back after 13, they completely change. Just when you start to get them back, they’re off to university. So it’s like a bereavement.”

In 2020, Jools revealed she had a miscarriage during lockdown and the couple spoke about losing “five little stars in the sky”.