Jamie Oliver opens up about his wife Jools’s ‘deeply scary’ experience of long Covid

‘She’s OK, but still not what she wants to be,’ the TV chef said

Jamie Oliver has opened up about his wife Jools’s “deeply scary” experience of long Covid over the past two years.

The celebrity chef, 47, spoke out about Jools’s experience with the condition, and lamented the current inability of doctors to find a cure for the relatively uncharted illness.

Speaking to Mail Plus, The Naked Chef star explained that his wife, also 47, had been struggling with the lasting symptoms of Covid-19 ever since she first contracted the virus more than two years ago.

“She’s had bad Covid and long Covid, so she’s been really affected by it, sadly,” he said, adding: “She’s OK, but still not what she wants to be.

“It’s been two years. She finds it deeply scary.”

Oliver went on to express his sorrow that medical professionals remain unable to find a cure for long Covid, despite 1.8 million people in the UK suffering from the condition, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

“We’re all over Harley Street like a rash, but no one really knows anything,” he said, referencing the street in Marylebone, London, noted for its large number of private medical specialists.

He added: “The data on long Covid is still piling in. She’s been an absolute superstar.”

The couple of 22 years share five children: Poppy, 20, who left for university during lockdown, Daisy, 19, Petal 13, Buddy 11 and River, six.

Jamie Oliver (Getty)

The British chef went on to reflect on his long relationship with Jools, who he first got together with at the age of 18.

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