So Jamie Oliver wishes he wasn’t famous? Let’s unpick that, shall we

‘Now and again, everyone wishes they could turn back the clock,’ writes Dave McKenna (Photo: GP Images/WireImage)

We all sometimes wish we could turn back time, and apparently Jamie Oliver is no different.

While you and I might want to rewind to before we embarrassed ourselves on that night out, or to the moment before we opened the now depleted pot of Pringles, Oliver wishes for something more profound. He pines for “anonymity”. He says if he could have his time again, he’d rather just run a small pub than be famous.

I’m not entirely sure I really believe him.

The confession from the once “Naked Chef” – definitely a moniker you use if you fear publicity – is surprising to say the least. Surely, it can’t be the Jamie Oliver. The one who, instead of privately enjoying his fame and riches, used it to run a very public campaign against school dinners, therefore depriving ordinary children everywhere of our lunchtime joy (those of a certain generation will never forget, nor forgive).

Certainly not the Oliver who crowds television guides, and filled column inches in a magazine he named after himself? The one who – unsatisfied with filling bookshelves – also decided to take up space in city centres, with restaurants also named after him. Back to that in a moment.

Oliver regrets becoming so famous (that we can’t escape him even if we wanted to), because of his kids and his family life. And you can’t argue with that, can you? Oliver’s children have grown up under the microscope and intrigue of the national press, which must be daunting and unnatural. I genuinely hope that hasn’t been too damaging to their mental health or confidence.

The evidence would suggest not though, as Jamie’s 13-year-old son Buddy, whom we can only assume is one of the people he’d like to protect from the limelight, has his own YouTube channel and can boast 133,000 subscribers. Not to mention a BBC show reportedly in the pipeline: Cooking Buddies. In all fairness to Buddy, the kid has a natural onscreen presence, and is a real likeable lad… some might say unlike his old man.

Oliver’s wife hasn’t done too badly off the back of the whole fame thing either, what with running a fashion brand with significant high-street endorsements.

Still, I’m sure the whole family would be much happier, quiet and anonymous, bickering over whose turn it is to unload the pub’s dishwasher or empty the dog-ends from the ashtrays.

There’s certainly a case for a large chunk of us feeling the same – that is, wishing Oliver out of the public eye and into his fictional pub. Because some of you might recall that taxpayers picked up part of the bill when his chain of restaurants went bust in 2018; specifically, the £1.2m owed in business rates to local councils. Luckily for Oliver, he got to recoup £1.75m. Jamie’s Italian owed around £83m when it went under, leaving some suppliers out of pocket. That’s not to talk of how short-changed anyone who ate there felt.

Readers of the bestseller Save with Jamie: Shop Smart, Cook Clever, Waste Less might think Oliver should have taken his own advice.

Over the years Oliver has served us tasty, televised treats. He’s educated us on things, from 15-minute meals to important matters (such as what’s really in a chicken nugget). He has a place in the national zeitgeist, has brushed shoulders with the Queen, the Beckhams, Ed Sheeran and many more. Until those business misdemeanours, he’d been viewed with the affectionate nature of an old friend or a pet. England’s culinary Labrador who’s reliably here to serve, be it, “pukka grub”, one pan wonders or even an ambitious “food revolution”.

Most people find it hard to believe that Jamie would wish all those memories, all those bestsellers, all those TV shows, all those perks of fame down the drain and instead be merrily pulling pints and selling scratchings in a leafy spot somewhere in Essex. I’m one of those people. But running a pub isn’t the idyllic fantasy that some imagine it to be. If you don’t believe me Jamie, just ask the landlords of the 400 British boozers that closed in the first six months of this year.

Now and again, everyone wishes they could turn back the clock. In the case of Jamie Oliver wishing he wasn’t famous, over to you dear reader.