Jamie Oliver has revealed that he and his wife Jools have decided to renew their wedding vows to show their children that they are stronger than ever.
The 47-year-old chef spoke for the first time about the surprise nuptials, explaining that he and Jools originally planned to renew their vows on their 20th anniversary, before Covid put an end to their plans.
He added that as their children left school and went to university, he wanted to reassure them that their relationship was “still close.”
“I wanted to do it on the 20th anniversary Covid put an end to that so I thought with the kids leaving school and going to university I have two in Leeds at university I thought it was a nice moment was to let them know their parents are close, we love them,” Jamie at Thursday’s BBC breakfast.
“I know it sounds like some people might love it and some might not, but I have to say the vows are much better the second time around.
Sweet: Jamie Oliver has revealed that he and wife Jools have decided to renew their wedding vows to show their children that they are stronger than ever
Sweet: The chef explained that now that their children are out of school and going to university, he wanted to assure them that his relationship with Jools is ‘still close’
“You feel like you’ve earned what you mean. You’ve felt everything they’re about, good bad and ugly. For me with a large family it felt like a nice thing to do.’
Jamie also revealed that his vow renewal suit was in a modernized version of his original wedding outfit, but this time without his eye-catching crocodile loafers.
He and Jools, who have been together since the age of 18, share five children together, including Poppy Honey, 20, Daisy Boo, 19, Petal Blossom, 13, Buddy Bear, 11, and River Rocket, five.
The star took to Instagram on Monday to share a collection of snaps from their surprise vow renewal.
The celebrity chef shared an intimate carousel of family snaps on Instagram after saying “yes” for the second time at the Soneva Fushi Resort.
Jools, 48, looked elegant in an off-the-shoulder wedding dress complete with a ruffled design and a thigh-high slit.
Unlike her husband Jamie, her bridal look was a different design from her original dress, which was a sleek ivory silk slip.
Her brunette locks were styled straight with a white bow that held her hair in place, while she accessorized with pearl earrings.
Moving: Over Thursday’s BBC breakfast, Jamie said he and Jools originally planned to renew their vows on their 20th anniversary, before Covid put an end to their plans
Couple in love: Jamie also revealed that his vow renewal suit was in a modernized version of his original wedding outfit, but this time without his eye-catching crocodile loafers
Cute! Jamie revealed that his son Buddy (right) acted as best man at the ceremony
Family: The couple share children River Rocket and (left to right) Daisy Boo Pamela, Petal Blossom Rainbow, Buddy Bear Maurice and Poppy Honey Rosie (pictured 2016)
First time: Jamie and Jools originally got married in Essex in 2000
Alongside the photos, Jamie wrote, “Morning y’all, me and @joolsoliver got married again! Yes, after 23 years together we thought it would be a special moment to celebrate the renewal of our wedding vows before the kids all leave the nest.
“It was very special, funny and romantic, with the words in the ceremony making more sense now that we had come this far together.
“It seems like a blink of an eye since the first wedding we kept very private, apart from the paparazzi in the village church, we thought it would be a happy and joyful moment to share with you all this Easter.
‘We always dreamed of going to the Maldives and it was exactly as you would have dreamed, just amazing! huge thank you to all the team at @discoversoneva for amazing and making this moment so special and memorable big love guys Jamie x’
Jamie later shared more snaps from the ceremony on his Instagram Stories, including a selfie with his wife and daughters captioned, “My queens.”
He also posted a photo with his two sons, Buddy and River, revealing that his oldest son had acted as a best man.
Jools also shared her own selection of snaps on her social media, writing:
“So great the first time we did it again. What an incredible memory to cherish so happy, emotional, romantic and beautiful. Seeing the little faces of the children made the whole experience so special. I could only have dreamed of being on vacation, so magical thank you so much Discover Soneva.
‘Your care, attention to detail and incredible kindness made everything so special it almost feels like it was a dream xxx
Jools and Jamie first started dating when they were teenagers and tied the knot on June 24, 2000 in the chef’s hometown of Rickling, Essex.
Jools spoke about renewing their vows in 2019, saying: ‘Next year we’ll have been married for 20 years and we’re getting married again, but doing things differently – outdoors and barefoot.
Chef Jamie, who hails from Essex, is reported to have a net worth of over £240 million.