Jamie Oliver says dyslexia made him feel ‘worthless’ at school
Jamie Oliver has revealed that his struggles with undiagnosed dyslexia were so difficult while growing up that he was made to feel “stupid” at school.
The celebrity is sharing his experience with the condition in a new Channel 4 documentary called Jamie’s Dyslexia Revolution, which is due to air on Monday 9 June.
Ahead of the documentary, Oliver toldThe Sunday Times that he grew to have a “total resentment for education” and that opening up about the disorder – which he was finally diagnosed with in January – has been “painful”.
“I’m unpacking quite a lot of stuff and I’m oversharing with you because I’ve got to f***ing work this s**t out, I thought I’d buried it but it’s hitting a nerve,” admitted Oliver about making the documentary.
“Genuinely, of all the things I’ve ever done, this documentary is the most viscerally painful. I’ve seen so many high-flying, talented, grown men cry about this – I’ve just done it to you – the concept of being worthless (when you’re) young is real. It’s really triggering.”
Having left school with two GCSEs, the chef admitted that the kitchen “saved” him.
“I didn’t have any extra time in exams, there were no strategies, just a bit of extra tutoring help,” he added. “There was no robust dyslexic knowledge then.”
Oliver added: “I didn’t have any extra time in exams, there were no strategies, just a bit of extra tutoring help. There was no robust dyslexic knowledge then.”
He also described feeling “stupid, worthless and thick” and developing “a hatred of words and a total resentment for education” while other students called him a “stupid dunce”. It left him with a “deep-seated feeling of constantly being behind”.
“I didn’t tell mum, dad or the teachers. I just bottled it up inside”, said the 50-year-old. “The kitchen saved me. I knew I had something to offer. I knew I wasn’t a useless piece of s***.”
Oliver is now campaigning for greater support in schools, and calling for early screenings for dyslexia and neurodiversity.
He added: “We also need more training for teachers. In a two to three-year training course, only about half a day is given to neurodiversity. I’ve only got love for teachers, we need to appreciate them more. But they want to be trained, they want to have the tools to notice, understand and react.”
According to the NHS, dyslexia is a learning difficulty that can cause problems with reading, writing and spelling.
However, the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) states that the condition can affect people in other ways, including coordination, organisation and memory. They argue that claiming dyslexia only affects a person’s ability to read or write is a misconception, saying “if this were true, it would be much easier to identify”.
It’s estimated up to one in every 10 people in the UK has some degree of dyslexia. Numerous celebrities, including Henry Winkler, Matt Hancock, Richard Branson and Jessica Simpson, have also shared that they have dyslexia.
While symptoms often become more obvious when a child starts school, individuals can go their entire life without realising that they have the condition, making the need to speak up and seek help if struggling more vital than ever.
The British Dyslexic Society (BDA) offers information, advice, support and even a helpline for people wanting to know more about dyslexia.
You can find out more information on their website.
Jamie’s Dyslexia Revolution can be watched on Channel 4 on 9 June at 9pm.
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