Jamie Oliver shocked his fans when he posted photos of his second wedding with Jools Oliver earlier this month, following 23 years of marriage.
After returning from the family celebrations in the Maldives, where Jamie and Jools were joined by their kids Poppy, 21, Daisy, 20, Petal, 14, Buddy, 12, and River, six, the celebrity chef has opened up about his motivations to renew his vows.
During an appearance on BBC Breakfast, he said he had actually been forced to delay the wedding for three years, as he wanted to say 'I do' again on the couple's milestone 20th anniversary. With his children growing up and moving out of their family home, he admitted he still wanted to show them "their parents are tight" and prove they have "earned" their vows.
"I wanted to do it on the 20-year anniversary, which was three years ago. Covid obviously put an end to that, and I just felt that with the kids leaving school and going to university – I have got two in Leeds at uni – it was just a nice moment to let them know that their parents are tight and we love them," he told hosts Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty.
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“I know it sounds… Maybe some people are into it and some people are not. But I have to say the vows second time round are much better because it is like you have earned what they mean. Everything they say you have done, felt – good, bad, ugly. And there you are 23 years later going, 'Oh my God, we did it'. Now part two.
"So for me with the big family, it felt like a nice thing to do."
Jamie was pictured in a pale blue Paul Smith suit – a nod to the outfit he wore for his Essex ceremony in July 2000 – and bare feet as he danced on a sandy beach with Jools, who looked stunning in a boho off-the-shoulder gown with a tulle bow in her hair.
Their kids all wore matching white dresses or blue shorts as they cheered for their parents in the sunset photos.
"Morning all, I & @joolsoliver got married again! Yep After 23 years together, we thought it would be a special moment to celebrate renewing our wedding vows before the kids all start leaving the nest. It was really special, funny and romantic with the words in the ceremony making more sense having come this far together.
"It seems like a blink since the first wedding which we kept very private apart from the paparazzi at the village church we thought it would be a happy and joyful moment to share with you all this Easter. We’ve always dreamed of going to the Maldives and it was just as you would have dreamed, simply amazing!
"A massive thank you to all the team at @discoversoneva for blowing our minds and making this moment so special and memorable big love guys Jamie oxxxxxxxxx," he captioned the photos.
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