Jamie Oliver’s wife Jools has revealed she has autism and ADHD, saying her diagnosis has “ruined 45 years of my life thinking it’s something else”.
The 51-year-old designer and former model, whose full name is Juliette, said she got diagnosed four years ago and officially revealed her condition on Monday as a guest on the podcast Lessons With Our Mothers.
She spoke honestly about the “draining” experience of living undiagnosed for years, and how it has helped her better understand her neurodivergent children who have been diagnosed with dyslexia, ADHD and autism.
“I just think it’s quite draining. I think it’s tiring. I think, actually, it’s ruined, so far, 45 years of my life thinking it’s something else,” she said on the podcast hosted by Cressida Bonas and Isabella Branson.
“It’s no superpower. It’s just a drain, and it’s just really hard work.”
The mother-of-five said she decided to “come out” and tell her family and friends at her 50th birthday party last year.
She told her chef husband: “Jamie, I’m going to tell everyone that I’m not normal because I put on such a great act of being really like, ‘Woo,’ and so social. In fact, it’s like my worst night. I’m such an introvert,” she said.
“A lot of people didn’t come and were turned off”, but she thought to herself: “Well, this is me. I’m afraid this is the new 50. This is it.’”
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Jools said she decided to get tested for autism after realising she shares behavioural habits with her children, Poppy, Daisy, Petal, Buddy, and River.
She said that she “just feels things so deeply”, adding: “I get so dramatic over things and I can be really up and down. And the empathy sometimes is painful.”
“I don’t know whether that’s just a personality choice. Sometimes you don’t even know, or is it just the menopause? Am I just going through the menopause and I’m really going bonkers? I think when you do have neurodiversity, menopause is a double nightmare.”
Jools went on to say that she is “scared” to take prescribed medication due to her health anxiety.
“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,” she said.
It comes after Jamie previously discussed his wife’s neurodivergence, without revealing she had ADHD or autism, during a 2025 appearance on Davina McCall’s Begin Again podcast.
“She’s quite in the background and she’s done that on purpose. She’s definitely the rock. She’s got incredible instinct, she’s incredibly kind, very funny. I love her to bits,” he said.
“I can’t really talk for her but she has neurodiversities that make her life really interesting and really challenging.
“Of course, there’s positives, but there’s loads of things that, you know — she makes us the way that we are. And I’m very grateful for Jools.”
The Olivers met as teenagers in 1993 and have been together for 33 years.