Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has broken his silence on his 24-year-old daughter Poppy's engagement to her boyfriend of five years, Ben, describing the upcoming wedding as a lovely thing during an appearance on ITV daytime television show This Morning.
Speaking on Wednesday's broadcast of the show, the 51-year-old television personality quipped that his eldest daughter tying the knot has made him feel old, pointing out how strange it feels given that she was born while he was filming his early television career.
During the live broadcast, host Ben Shephard introduced the announcement to viewers, asking the chef: "So Jamie has just given us some really lovely news as well. Can we share this news?"
Jamie replied by describing the stage of life his family has entered, explaining to Shephard: "We were just talking about kids and your kids are going off to university and I'm like dude, it's a really mad time. Mine's just got engaged."
Reflecting on how quickly time has passed since Poppy was born, Jamie added: "Slightly weird because she was pretty much born on TV as well. There were the crew there pretty much as she crested. Crowned. Sorry Jools."
He continued: "It is a lovely thing. It just shows that we are getting a little bit older and the hangovers don't hit like they used to."
Instagram announcement and beach proposal
The engagement was first publicly revealed last month by Jamie's wife, Jools Oliver, who shared a video reel on Instagram documenting the romantic moment Ben proposed to Poppy.
Sharing her delight on social media, Jools wrote: "Probably one of my favourite reels so far. Our first baby Poppy Honey is getting married."
She expressed her joy for the couple, adding: "We are so excited, proud and happy. Ben we all adore you. Little did I know as we moved Pop in to her second house at university, whilst I was sweating over your shoe rack flat pack you seemed very distracted with the boy who had just moved in next door..."
Jools concluded her heartwarming post by writing: "5 years later you had met you soul mate. so excited for the next chapter love you xxx @bennewman___ @katenewman."
The accompanying video showed Ben getting down on one knee in front of a picturesque sunset on the beach to pop the question to Poppy.
Following his wife's post, Jamie added a message of congratulations on his own Instagram Story, writing: "Happy engagement my baby girl Poppy and Ben. I'm so please for you both. What a wonderful moment."
Images shared from the occasion showed Poppy posing to display her new engagement ring after the sunset proposal, alongside a celebratory family photograph featuring Jamie, Jools, and Poppy together.
University romance and family life
Poppy and Ben first met while studying at university, after Ben moved into the property next door to Poppy's student house. Following their graduation, the couple spent several months travelling across Australia together.
In 2024, Jamie disclosed that Poppy had surprised her mother Jools upon returning home from her Australian travels after spending months overseas with Ben.
Recalling the emotional homecoming, Jamie said at the time: "[It was] very emotional. So, she stayed in London, got over jet lag, freshened up, and then we took her home last night, Very emotional. Mum had no idea."
In addition to eldest daughter Poppy Honey, 24, Jamie and Jools Oliver are parents to four other children: daughter Daisy Boo, 23, daughter Petal Blossom, 17, son Buddy Bear, 15, and son River Rocket, nine.
Wedding anniversaries and vow renewals
Poppy's engagement comes shortly after Jamie celebrated his 26th wedding anniversary with Jools in June, marking the milestone by sharing a selection of throwback photographs online.
The trio of images showed the couple, who are both 51 years old, looking loved-up in throwback pictures, including two photos of the couple cosied up together and a separate photograph of former model Jools on her own.
In a sweet caption accompanying the photographs, Jamie wrote: "Just a little @joolsoliver appreciation post because she has truly been my rock for 26 years !! What would I do without her?"
Jamie Oliver married Jools, a former model, author, and children's clothing designer, in 2000. The couple has renewed their wedding vows twice in recent years, first holding a ceremony in the Maldives in 2023, followed by a second renewal ceremony in Las Vegas in 2024.
Last year, when celebrating a quarter of a century together, Jamie opened up about the secret to their long marriage during an interview with Good Housekeeping UK, admitting that "opposites attract" and stating that he felt "very blessed."
Jamie told the publication: "I wouldn't be the first to say opposites attract. We get on very well and we genuinely like each other, but we're also very different."
He added: "That can create a certain tension, but it also seems to work, and I feel very blessed to have had 25 years."
Reflections on neurodiversity and early romance
The comments came after Jamie publicly revealed that Jools is neurodivergent, a revelation made three months after he confirmed that several of their five children had also received neurodivergent diagnoses.
Speaking candidly about his wife during an appearance on broadcaster Davina McCall's podcast Begin Again, Jamie explained that Jools' condition can make daily life both interesting and challenging.
Jamie told McCall: "She's quite in the background and she's done that on purpose. She's definitely the rock. She's got incredible instinct..."
He continued praising his wife, saying: "She's incredibly kind, very funny. I love her to bits. I can't really talk for her but she has neurodiversities that make her life really interesting and really challenging..."
Jamie added: "Of course there's positives, but there's loads of things that, you know - she makes us the way that we are. And I'm very grateful for Jools… and an amazing mum."
Neurodivergent is an umbrella term used to describe individuals whose brains process information differently than typical cognitive standards, encompassing conditions such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and dyslexia.
During the podcast appearance, Jamie also recalled how he first met Jools when he was just 18 years old, gushing about her appearance and quirky fashion sense when they first began dating.
Jamie said: "She was just very beautiful and pure and just, gorgeous and natural, and quite quirky, quite clumsy. Very cute, and she was always like the odd dresser, she wore really cool clothes, like bonkers stuff."
Recalling their early dates together, the chef joked about how Jools would routinely leave passing men completely speechless with her stunning looks.
Jamie recalled: "I remember going on dates with her and we'd go past building estates with all the geezers up the scaffolding and they'd just look at her and go, 'Oh yeah' - these long legs and these big boobs and all they could say was 'Fashion, fashion!' and I was like, 'Is that the best you can do?'. She just baffled them."
