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Exclusive: Jamie Oliver opens up about family life and juggling his career

Super dad!

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There's no denying that Jamie Oliver's schedule is jam-packed. His ever-growing empire includes a series of best-selling cookbooks, and popular restaurants including Fifteen and Jamie's Italian - and that's just work. At home, the 43-year-old and wife Jools Oliver have five children, including two-year-old River who they welcomed in 2016. So just how does he juggle it all? The celebrity chef sat down with HELLO! back in 2017 to talk family life and managing his busy schedule...

"Since Poppy was born, I just have to start at five, finish at 10 at night, Monday to Friday," he told us at the launch of his restaurant Barbecoa. "I have my structured holidays, my structured weekends, and I try to be a good boss and a good dad." Another tip from the food guru? "If you want to do lots of things well, surround yourself by amazing women, end of story!" 

jamie oliver

Jamie opened up about juggling his career and fatherhood

His schedule shows no sign of slowing down, but Jamie admitted that it's always worth it when he completes a project he's passionate about – and Barbecoa is just that. The chef's excitement at the launch was clear, as he was spotted excitedly showing friends around the venue – including Phillip Schofield, who stepped out for the launch with his wife Stephanie.

Jamie Oliver and wife Jools celebrate huge milestone - see post

During the evening, Jamie took Phillip into the restaurant's kitchens to show him the impressive equipment and introduce him to the team of chefs. The pair also took to Twitter to share a fun selfie of their antics, as they posed by the grills. "The atmosphere is great," the This Morning presenter told HELLO! later that evening. "It's really special."

jamie oliver children

Jamie and Jools Oliver have five children together, including little River

Jamie revealed that the steakhouse's launch is particularly exciting for him, as it's taken years of hard work and research before he felt it was ready to be opened to the public. "It's taken four years, so it's been a massive labour of love," he revealed.

MORE: Click here for more Jamie Oliver news

As for his overall success today, wife Jools recently reflected on his journey, as the couple marked the 20-year anniversary of his cult food programme The Naked Chef. "So it's been 20 years since the 'naked chef' programme first hit our screens and what a ride it has been," she wrote on Instagram. "I have loved that we started this journey together and I got to share with you in all the highs and the lows of your career so far. Words can never say how proud of you I am and how absolutely hard you have worked and not just for yourself." Aww. Here's to the next twenty years!