They will be celebrating 23 years of marriage this summer, but Jamie Oliver and his wife Jools marked the occasion a few months early by renewing their wedding vows last week.

The chef shared the happy news with his 9.5m Instagram followers over the Easter weekend, describing the ceremony as, “Really special, funny and romantic.”

Following in the footsteps of Rochelle and Marvin Humes, Tess Daly and Vernon Kay and Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, who have also renewed their vows, the couple jetted off to the Maldives with their five children – Poppy, 21, Daisy, 20, Petal, 14, Buddy, 12 and six-year-old River – to say, “I do” for the second time.

And an insider says that having their children involved made the day all the more memorable for Jamie and Jools.

“The vow renewal was everything they dreamed of, and having their kids there with them was the icing on the cake,” a source says.

“The children helped plan a lot of the details, with Poppy, Daisy and Petal helping Jools pick out her dress and Buddy being Jamie’s ‘stylist’. He also walked Jools down the aisle and was Jamie’s best man along with River, while the girls were bridesmaids and joint Maids of Honour.”

CANDID GLIMPSE

And while the Olivers didn’t have any of their friends in attendance, insiders say that some of their A-list pals were quick to congratulate them. Their celeb friends include Gwyneth Paltrow, Drew Barrymore, Helena Christensen, and Jennifer Aniston, who Jamie has been friends with for nearly 20 years, and was once flown out to Hollywood to cook for her and ex-husband Brad Pitt, when they were married.

The source adds, “Loads of their A-list pals got in touch to send their well wishes – Helena [Christensen] commented on his Instagram post and Jennifer privately sent her love.”

Jamie, 47, gave his fans a candid glimpse into the ceremony with a carousel of beach photos, which included heart-warming family shots, kisses on the shoreline and the moment Jools walked down the sandy aisle hand-in-hand with Buddy.

The accompanying caption read, “Morning all, me & @joolsoliver got married again! Yep after 23 years together, we thought it would be a special moment to celebrate renewing our wedding vows before the kids all start leaving the nest. It was really special, funny and romantic with the words in the ceremony making more sense having come this far together.”

SENTIMENTAL

The restaurateur added that it seemed like a “blink” since they first tied the knot at an Essex village church in 2000, and how they had always dreamed of going to the Maldives.

Meanwhile, 48-year-old Jools – whose real name is Juliette – also shared photos from their memorable weekend at the Soneva Fushi Resort, gushing that their first wedding was “so wonderful” that they did it again. The second-time newlyweds were inundated with congratulatory messages from the likes of Gary Barlow, Zoe Ball and Denise van Outen, with many lauding their “beautiful family”.

And now, an insider adds that it was a very emotionally-driven ceremony, which saw the five Oliver children deliver their own sentimental messages to their proud parents.

And now, an insider adds that it was a very emotionally-driven ceremony, which saw the five Oliver children deliver their own sentimental messages to their proud parents.

“Jamie and Jools were in floods of tears, and even Poppy had to jump in at one point to read some of her mum’s vows as she got so choked up.

“They had a gorgeous celebration afterwards, with a beautiful cake made by a local bakery, and the kids all made heartfelt speeches, which had Jamie and Jools in floods of tears again,” a source explains.

The couple met when they were teenagers. And while Jamie went on to carve out a successful culinary career – which has expanded to TV, book and campaign opportunities – it was his days as a drummer that caught Jools’ eye, as she confessed it was the “rock star” image that “got her”.

COMMITMENT

The mum of five – who owns the clothing brand Little Bird – previously explained that they have “never separated” since their first date aged 18, but she did once have suspicions that he had been unfaithful.

Jamie previously joked to Closer, “My missus accused me of having an affair once because I kept disappearing and coming back with green on my knees. It was courgette season, and I was in the vegetable patch!”

But the pair have proved time and time again that their bond is iron-clad –even when they fell upon hard times in 2019 after Jamie’s restaurant chain went into administration – and their celebration in the Maldives was the icing on the cake.

The source tells Closer, “Having just the seven of them there made it even more intimate and special. They insisted that while they want to celebrate with extended family and friends at a later date, it was the perfect way to solidify their love and commitment to each other.”