“It’s Brutal with Girls and Their Mums” Jools Oliver Gets Honest About Raising Teens

Jools Oliver has opened up about the emotional challenges of raising teenagers, revealing that her 16-year-old daughter has grown distant — something she admits is “brutal” and “heartbreaking.”

The former model and wife of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver shared her honest reflections in an interview with Good Housekeeping, saying she’s learned that the teenage years can be especially tough for mothers and daughters.

“It’s particularly brutal with girls and their mums,” Jools said, explaining that the later teenage years often bring emotional ups and downs that can leave parents feeling helpless.

“My 16-year-old isn’t particularly warm to me at the moment and it’s sort of heartbreaking,” she confessed. “But I’ve done it twice over and I know not to be silly and to try to let it go. It’s hard when you’re living it, and ten years is quite a long time to wait for them to come back to you, but they do.”

Jools and Jamie, who met as teenagers in Essex and have now been married for 25 years, share five children: daughters Poppy, 23, Daisy, 21, and Petal, 16, along with sons Buddy, 15, and River, eight, reported the Independent.

Jamie also opened up about the changing dynamics at home, saying he understands how difficult it can be for his wife. “She understandably takes it personally,” he said. “It’s not that I’m seeing it from a great distance, but I’ve learnt to step back when I can.”

The famous chef also spoke about his evolving relationship with their son Buddy, who is following in his culinary footsteps. Buddy released his own cookbook Let’s Cook last year and has already amassed more than 87,000 followers on Instagram, where he regularly shares his cooking creations.

“He’s at an age where [sometimes it feels like] he’s almost fighting it because he thinks it’s imposed by me,” Jamie said, laughing about the tension that can come with being both a dad and a mentor.

He admitted that Buddy’s growing passion for cooking “might have been driven” by his own enthusiasm, adding that he’s always enjoyed “having a partner in crime” in the kitchen.

Jamie, now 49, shot to fame in his twenties with the hit BBC Two series The Naked Chef after being discovered in the 1997 documentary Christmas at the River Café.

He and Jools’ love story began long before fame, when a friend set them up on a double date as teenagers. They later moved to London together and built a life and family that have remained solid through all of Jamie’s success.

Looking back on their early years together, Jamie once said, “Luckily, we were able to solidify our relationship before it all kicked off. Then we did it together.”

Through the ups and downs of fame, parenting, and public life, the couple’s honesty about family struggles has made them more relatable to fans. And while Jools admits the teenage years can be tough, she remains hopeful, reminding herself that “they do come back.”