Jamie Oliver likes being an embarrassing dad.
The 42-year-old chef – who has kids Poppy, 15, Daisy, 14, Petal, eight, Buddy, six, and River, 12 months, with wife Jools – says no matter how he behaves in public, his two eldest daughters will cringe.
Asked if he is an embarrassing dad, he told heat: "Apparently very much so, but the more my kids give me grief for it, the more I’ll just work it.
"I took them to school the other day and got told off for being embarrassing so I did a full ‘me’ analysis, and the only thing I was guilty of was walking and having a pulse.
"I guess it’s hard for them being Jamie Oliver’s kids, but hopefully they’ll end up being proud of me."
Jamie and his wife are trying to "slow things down" with their older kids because they don’t want them growing up too quickly, much to the teenagers’ annoyance.
He said: "We’re on the cusp [of them dating] now.
"They’re very interested in boys but they’ve had no boyfriends yet. It’s weird.
"You have a little girl until about 12 and then… different league.
"We’ve consciously tried to slow things down – there’s no rush right?
"My kids were the last kids in the whole year to have a mobile phone, which apparently was child abuse."
The ‘Quick & Easy Food’ host has faced criticism in the past for his children’s unusual names but he still loves them and cares more about how they grow up than what they are called.
He said: "I’ve had people caning us for our kids’ names and then you look on their Facebook profile and they’ve got the most f***ing ridiculous name. I love my kids’ names.
"I like ones that are an expression of nature. Everyone was like, ‘River? What a f***ing stupid name.’ But I love it…
"Ultimately, if a kid grows into a lovely person and they’re joyful and work hard, they could be called Cat’s A**e for all I care."
Embarrassing dad Jamie Oliver
