Jamie Oliver's new show is 'viscerally painful' as school trauma 'hits a nerve'
TV chef Jamie Oliver has opened up about his struggles with dyslexia in new Channel 4 documentary, Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution, revealing he was made to feel 'stupid, worthless and thick' as a schoolboy
Over the course of his stellar career, Jamie Oliver has produced countless hit TV shows, from adventurous travel documentaries to accessible cook-alongs.
However, his most recent television offering strikes a profoundly personal note, unlike anything the Naked Chef has released before, delving into the topic of dyslexia. Nowadays, Jamie is known to be one of the brightest stars of the culinary world, with his numerous cookbooks on display in kitchens up and down the country.
The 50-year-old father of five has also used his celeb status for good, emphasising the importance of providing nutritious meals for children to ensure the best possible start in life. Such a legacy may well have seemed like an unachievable dream to the school-aged Jamie, who was cruelly blasted as a "stupid dunce" by his peers.
In his one-hour Channel 4 documentary, Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution, the Essex-born chef opens up about the challenges he himself faced as a youngster growing up with dyslexia, while advocating for improved dyslexia support in schools, with an emphasis on early screenings and better neurodiversity awareness.
Delving into his experiences of making the doc in an interview with The Sunday Times, Jamie shared that it was the "most viscerally painful" thing he's ever done. Remarking that he was "unpacking quite a lot of stuff", Jamie told the publication: "I thought I'd buried it, but it's hitting a nerve. Genuinely, of all the things I've ever done, this documentary is the most viscerally painful."
He continued: "I've seen so many high-flying, talented, grown men cry about this — I've just done it to you — the concept of being worthless (when you're) young is real. It's really triggering."
As explained by the NHS, dyslexia is a "common learning difficulty that causes problems with reading, writing, and spelling", estimated to affect as many as one out of every ten people in the UK. This lifelong learning difficulty, previously known as word blindness, can present various daily challenges, from spelling to reading speedily. However, those who have it have been found to frequently excel in other areas, including problem-solving and creative thinking.
Sadly, Jamie, who left school with two GCSEs, was made to feel "stupid, worthless and thick" with his insecurities leading to a "a hatred of words and a total resentment for education". He remembered: "I didn't have any extra time in exams, there were no strategies, just a bit of extra tutoring help. There was no robust dyslexic knowledge then."
Jamie was thankfully able to carve a rewarding path for himself, thanks to his extraordinary cooking talents, a path that he has reflected "saved" him. He added: "I didn't tell mum, dad or the teachers. I just bottled it up inside. The kitchen saved me. I knew I had something to offer. I knew I wasn't a useless piece of s***."
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