Jools Oliver breaks silence on crippling personal struggle that 'ruined' 45 years of her life

Jamie Oliver's wife Jools has revealed that she was diagnosed with autism and ADHD in her 40s, and opened up about her "draining" experience of living undiagnosed.

Jools, 51, shares children Poppy, 24, Daisy, 23, Petal, 17, Buddy, 16, and River, 10 with the celebrity chef.

Appearing on the Lessons From Our Mothers podcast, Jools explained how the children had been diagnosed with autism, which had prompted her to get checked out herself.

"[My ADHD diagnosis] was about four years ago. And I've got the medication, but I don't want to take it because I'm scared – due to health anxiety – that something will happen; it’s just an ongoing situation," she shared.

"But found out the children had autism. So, then I thought, 'my god, that sounds like me'. So, I went for that and I've got that as well."

'It's ruined 45 years of my life'

Jools confessed the diagnosis hasn't been easy to get her head around however.

"It's a little bit overwhelming to know what I actually have and what's actually wrong with me," she said. "For me, I think it's quite draining. I think it's tiring.

"And I think it's actually ruined, well I'm 51, so far 45 years of my life thinking it's something else. It's no superpower, it’s just a drain and it's really hard work."

Despite this, Jools said that receiving her autism diagnosis had allowed her to understand her children better."There's such a bond in understanding with the ones that do have autism because I can go, 'Yeah, I get you. I got it. I understand completely.'"

Last year, Jamie alluded to his wife's neurodivergence in an interview where he said that it "made her life really interesting and really challenging".

Speaking about his family's mental health struggles the chef joked that their home life was "bonkers". "Imagine four neurodiverse people at the dinner table trying to get their point across," he said.

Jamie and Jools Oliver look unrecognisable in throwback from first holiday

Just reverently, Jamie sent fans into a frenzy when he unearthed an incredible photograph of himself and wife Jools from their very first holiday together.

The 51-year-old took a trip down memory lane, sharing the snap from a sun-soaked getaway to Crete's Spinalonga peninsula more than three decades ago.

The childhood sweethearts looked almost unrecognisable in the photograph, with Jamie sporting tousled blond hair beneath a backwards baseball cap, round sunglasses and a checked shirt.

Jools, meanwhile, looked effortlessly cool in a cropped checked shirt worn over a black bikini top, tiny shorts and matching backwards cap as she wrapped an arm around her future husband.

"Throwback! Look at this photo of @joolsoliver and me on our very first holiday together all those years ago in Crete on Peninsula Spinalogkas... We haven't changed a bit, right?" Jamie joked.

Jamie Oliver on growing up with Jools

Jamie has previously reflected on how important it was that his relationship with Jools was already firmly established before his career propelled him into the spotlight.

"We went to London with nothing but dreams and aspirations," he recalled of their early years together. "Luckily, we were able to solidify our relationship before it all kicked off. Then we did it together. It was exciting."

Their family is now entering another exciting chapter, with eldest daughter Poppy recently announcing her engagement to her longtime boyfriend Ben Newman.

Jamie has credited Jools with helping to keep their family grounded despite his global fame, and has admitted that raising their children in the public eye hasn't always been straightforward.

"It's not easy being us," he told People, while discussing the impact of his fame on their children, explaining that some had found the attention embarrassing during their teenage years. He also credited Jools with much of the success of their parenting partnership.