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Jamie Oliver claims wife Jools has long COVID that still can’t be cured after two years

Jools Oliver and Jamie Oliver arrive for the European premiere of 'Eddie The Eagle' at Odeon Leicester Square on March 17, 2016 in London, England.  (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Jamie Oliver says wife Jools is suffering from long COVID. (WireImage)

Jamie Oliver has revealed his wife Jools is still suffering the effects of long COVID and says she has had it for two years.

The TV chef opened up on the health nightmare Jools has been living with and said they had desperately been seeking help at Harley Street clinics, but that she was finding it "deeply scary".

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Speaking to The Mail's Weekend magazine, Jamie, 47, said: "She's had bad COVID and long COVID so she's been really affected by it, sadly. She's ok, but still not what she wants to be.

"It's been two years. She finds it deeply scary. 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."

Jools Oliver and Jamie Oliver attend day 13 of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at Wimbledon on July 12, 2015 in London, England.  (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
The couple have five children. (WireImage)

The couple, who have been together since they were 18, have five children together ranging in age from 20 to five.

Jamie admitted that he'd "found teenage girls very hard" with his daughters Poppy, Daisy and Petal now aged 20, 19 and 13, while sons Buddy and River are 11 and five.

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Saying that he missed getting hugs from his children as they got older, he added: "You never get the kid back after 13, they completely change. That took a while to get over. So I've struggled with the teenage years."

Jamie Oliver during the filming for the Graham Norton Show at BBC Studioworks 6 Television Centre, Wood Lane, London, to be aired on BBC One on Friday evening.
Jamie Oliver also opened up on the challenges of parenting teens. (PA)

He also added that he thought his daughters had a tougher time at university because of having a famous dad, saying that they were "judged" and the subject of "banter" as soon as other students realised who they were.

The chef, who is known for campaigning for better quality school meals and support for children living in poverty, admitted that his new cookbook One: Simple One-Pan Wonders was "a middle-class cookbook for Middle England" and not intended to help struggling families with the cost of living crisis, saying people on universal credit "ain't buying this".

Watch: Jamie Oliver stages obesity protest outside of Downing Street