Jools Oliver and husband, Jamie Oliver are expecting their fifth child in August. Photo / Getty
Jools Oliver and husband, Jamie Oliver are expecting their fifth child in August. Photo / Getty
Jamie Oliver's wife Jools revealed yesterday she was expecting their fifth child - as her husband announced he was launching a campaign to promote breastfeeding.
She showed off her baby bump at a film premiere last night, posing with the TV chef on the red carpet.
Fresh from his victory on a sugar tax, Oliver has already unveiled his latest crusade - he wants to make it easier for mothers to breastfeed "anywhere they want to".
But his views seemed to upset some mothers who said they did not appreciate him telling them how best to raise their children. They questioned why a man was making himself a mouthpiece for a women's issue.
Oliver, 40, spoke proudly about the impending addition to the family, saying the news was a "complete surprise" but that he and his wife were both "really pleased".
Mrs Oliver, 41, has repeatedly spoken of her desire to expand their brood and is now expecting another in August. The couple already have four children, with Oliver previously joking that was "more than enough" and that a vasectomy "could be an option".
Yesterday - while attending the premier of Eddie The Eagle in London's Leicester Square - he said this would probably be their last child because it would be "just getting ridiculous otherwise."
Jamie and his family after the birth of his son, Buddy Bear. Photo / Getty
The couple already have 14-year-old Poppy Honey, Daisy Boo, 12, Petal Blossom, six and Buddy Bear, five.
Asked if he wanted a boy or a girl, Oliver said he would "be grateful for what I get" but that "a bit more testosterone would probably be a good thing".
Following on from George Osborne's Budget sugar tax, Oliver yesterday told LBC Radio that he was turning his attention to breastfeeding as it "is the beginning of the story" when it comes to childhood obesity. But his comments were seized upon by female listeners who said that "somebody who has never done it" should not be the face of a breastfeeding campaign.
A poll, conducted by Public Health England last year, found that more than a third of breastfeeding mothers shy away from doing so in public. One in five felt that people do not want them to breastfeed in public.
Oliver said that Britain had a "problem" with breastfeeding, with one of the lowest rates in the world. He warned that feeding babies with bottled milk can led to obesity and that breastfeeding for more than six months can halve the risk of mothers contracting breast cancer.
PHE says breast milk has a "positive impact" on both baby's and mother's health.
"We need to support the women of Britain to breastfeed more, anywhere they want to," Oliver told listeners.
However, Rebecca from Hertford, told the show: "For somebody who has never done it ... I don't think he should be the face of this campaign at all."
Robyn from Birmingham, added: "What does he think we have been doing? Who doesn't know that breast milk is best for their baby?"
