Yahoo News Jamie Oliver's wife Jools Oliver makes huge career change
Jamie Oliver's wife Jools praised for changing career at 49
Jamie Oliver's wife Jools Oliver has set her heart on a new career: midwifery.
It comes at a poignant time for their family as son Buddy has landed his first cooking TV show Cooking Buddies after TV chef Oliver has insisted his son would "earn his trade".
It is no secret that the famous parents' lives evolve around their five children: Poppy, Daisy, Petal, Buddy and River. But now, Mrs Oliver has made plans for her own career as she decided to make a change. At 49, she is retraining to become a midwife.
It's been two years since Mrs Oliver started her course but now the mum has shared her joyous news with the world during a podcast discussion on Postcards From Midlife. Her move to midwifery has won praise including from TV stars Cat Deeley and Gyles Brandreth.
Jools Oliver to be a midwife
It was the TV chef who first encouraged his wife to follow her dreams and start on a midwifery course. Mrs Oliver told the Postcards From Midlife podcast: "Everyone said, "There's still time, this is the time you do it". It's been two years now, it should have been done in a year, this is very me.
"Ideally, I'd like to I think I just want to hold newborn babies left, right and centre. It's the dream job, catching newborn babies."
The mum revealed she didn't have much guidance while she was at school. So instead of choosing midwifery, a career she now thinks she would be "quite good at, she embarked on a career in modelling.
She explained further: "I didn't really have much guidance... I wish I'd just gone straight to college and been a midwife. That would hands down be the job I'd be still doing now and I think I'd probably have been quite good at it."
Praise for Jools
There was huge praise for Mrs Oliver's plans as TV presenters discussed the news on This Morning on Monday following the release of the podcast. This Morning's new full-time host Cat Deeley celebrated the news, having just started in her own job on the daytime TV show. "I think it's a great idea," she said.
Hilariously, Gyles Brandreth had misread the news saying he thought musician Jools Holland was planning to become a midwife. He admitted he texted his wife to say that maybe he should be considering doing something equally marvellous now later in life.
In all seriousness though, the broadcaster celebrated Mrs Oliver's change of career at 49 years old. He said: "I think people doing things later in life is wonderful."
Baby number six
It comes after Jamie and Jools Oliver had discussed having a sixth baby. Earlier this year, the Naked Chef said the couple would have "loved" it if a sixth baby had happened but he revealed they were very happy as a big family.
The TV chef was opening up about being "exhausted" as a dad of five. He joked in discussion with The Sun newspaper: "I am trying to move on to the next stage, but Jools keeps trying to drag me back!"
Seriously though, he added: "Seriously we would have loved a sixth if it happened. But we are so lucky to have the family we have and I am so happy. Exhausted, but happy."
Last year, the couple whisked their five children off to the Maldives where they renewed their vows as they celebrated 23 years of marriage.
Previously, Mrs Oliver revealed she suffered five miscarriages. She made it public in an open love letter to her husband in 2020 to mark 20 years of their marriage.
At the time, she wrote in a letter shared on social media: "I treasure the daily texts you send, you are romantic and constantly positive funny and a dedicated brilliant dad we have created 5 wonderful children and lost our 5 little stars in the sky."
