Jamie Oliver rose to fame with The Naked Chef before tackling the nation’s unhealthy eating habits, but he now admits he has one ‘really dangerous’ health struggle of his own

Jamie Oliver has opened up about a ‘really dangerous’ health struggle(Image: GETTY)

Jamie Oliver admits he has been battling a “really dangerous” health issue. The television chef rose to prominence in the 2000s when he launched The Naked Chef on BBC Two.

But his career reached new heights 20 years ago with Jamie’s School Dinners, a series that shone a spotlight on the state of meals in Britain’s schools. Since then he has gone on to host a range of cooking shows on TV and become Britain’s second-best selling author, behind J K Rowling.

Now having turned 50, Jamie has decided to write a healthy cookbook. It comes as he started noticing the “cliche aches and pains” that come with ageing.

It means he has come to see his body “as an engine” rather than something that “works unconditionally” for you. The chef admits he has also developed a problematic relationship with sleep.

Speaking to The Times, he said: “I have had the worst relationship with sleep. I am at the end of a decade of only three or four hours of sleep a night and it’s really dangerous.

Jamie celebrated turning 50 in May(Image: Luke Walker, Getty Images for LTA)

“I will fix it this year, but three times a week I wake up at 4.30am and don’t finish until 9pm. It’s too much.”

As well as issues with his sleep, Jamie says he has suffered from a slipped disc in his back. He describes the problem, along with his aches and pains as “old-people stuff”.

And while he’s known for tackling the nation’s unhealthy eating habits, he also concedes that “being greedy” has been his unhealthiest habit throughout his life. Jamie says he has always had a “varied diet” but admits that being greedy has been his “biggest problem”.

What does the NHS say about sleep?

According to the NHS , sleep problems can be a common issue. There can be a wide range of causes behind sleep struggles, including work, illness, or even having a newborn baby.

While a few nights of bad sleep are considered okay, the NHS says it can become an issue if sleep problems affect your day-to-day life. The health service says long-term sleep issues can negatively impact both your physical and mental wellbeing.

Jamie rose to fame with The Naked Chef(Image: Gareth Cattermole, Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for BFI)

A healthy adult needs between seven and nine hours of sleep, says the NHS. Although age and personal circumstances mean the exact amount of sleep each individual needs can differ.

The NHS says: “Some people are naturally lighter sleepers or take longer to get to sleep while others might sleep badly because of anxiety, worry over stressful events or other life challenges.

“There are lots of things that can influence how well we sleep, such as our current physical or mental health, our upbringing, things that happen to us, and even our temperament. However, bad sleep habits or poor sleep hygiene, such as not relaxing or winding down before bed, often cause sleep problems.”