Latest news with #DyslexiaRevolution
Daily Mirror
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Holly Willoughby's former co-star unrecognisable 25 years later
A former S Club TV star looks completely different to his time on the show alongside Holly Willoughby after he made a huge career change A former co-star of Holly Willoughby's looks very different over two decades since the pair worked together. In the early days of her blossoming career, Holly was one of the faces of S Club TV. And starring alongside her was Marcus O'Donovan. Now 42, Marcus's appearance is nearly unrecognisable 25 years later. The duo appeared on screen together between 2000 and 2001. While the show was short-lived, there were a number of familiar faces who appeared on the production. Among those also involved was Ben Barnes and Amy Garcia. Now, while Holly and co have continued their journey in front of the camera, Marcus has opted for a new route. The former presenter is now the owner of a sparkling water company called CO2 You. He previously owned a snack company called HUSK from 2011 until 2024, according to his LinkedIn profile. He's never shied away from his love of his new industry. Previously speaking to About Time Magazine, he admitted he wished he had asked for honest feedback on his idea before jumping into it. He said: "The hardest thing in the food industry isn't making a great product or branding it well, it's getting your product to market and understanding logistics and manufacturing. There is a lot to learn. 'It can be very lonely, and you may need a lot of funding. Reach out to me if you're just starting. I'm always happy to give someone 15 minutes on the phone." While Marcus' career took a completely different direction, Holly became a mainstay on the small screen. However, it wasn't always set that way, with Holly admitting she almost wrote herself off in the industry. The 42-year-old presenter opened up about feeling "different" when she was younger in a documentary that she has described as "important". She's suggested that she ended up "writing herself off" due to a challenging experience. The star previously explained how she was diagnosed with dyslexia shortly before her GCSEs. During her time on This Morning, she was shared how she felt "shameful" about struggling with spelling for years. However, she also revealed on the ITV show that she's since become proud to have dyslexia. Opening up on Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution last month, Holly said she felt "different" when she was at school. "I definitely was terrible at spelling," she confessed. "I knew that because in spelling tests I'd always get really poor results." She added: "I always knew that when I'd get my homework back, there would be red pen all over it where there would be 'silly mistakes'. I felt like I was working really, really hard with not getting much results. So I felt different." And Holly later added: "The school system is made for a certain type of learning and it's so hard when you don't learn like that." Other people who spoke out in the documentary included former Made In Chelsea star Jamie Laing.
Daily Mirror
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Holly Willoughby's hidden struggle before diagnosis after 'writing herself off'
Former This Morning host Holly Willoughby spoke about her experience with dyslexia in the new documentary Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution which aired on Channel 4 last night Presenter Holly Willoughby has opened up about feeling "different" when she was younger in a new documentary that she has described as "important". She's suggested that she ended up "writing herself off" due to a challenging experience. Holly, 44, has previously spoken about being diagnosed with dyslexia shortly before her GCSEs. She once shared whilst hosting This Morning that she felt "shameful" about struggling with spelling for years, but also revealed on the ITV show that she's since become proud to have dyslexia. She's now further discussed her experience with the learning difficulty at school. Holly opened up in the documentary Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution, which aired on Channel 4 on Monday, with her among the participants in the project. The one-off special saw chef Jamie Oliver, who has spoken about his own experience with dyslexia, explore the challenges faced by pupils who have dyslexia. It also shows him campaigning for more support for those affected by dyslexia. Like other participants, including Jamie Laing, Holly makes brief appearances in video messages shown during the documentary. She's seen talking about her experience, including sharing that she felt "different" when she was at school. Opening up about her difficulty with spelling, she said in her first appearance: "I definitely was terrible at spelling." She continued by sharing with viewers: "I knew that because in spelling tests I'd always get really poor results." Holly later said that she was "always" expecting feedback on her homework to include "silly mistakes" being brought to her attention. She said in the documentary: "I always knew that when I'd get my homework back, there would be red pen all over it where there would be 'silly mistakes'." She said: "I felt like I was working really, really hard with not getting much results. So I felt different." She later added: "The school system is made for a certain type of learning and it's so hard when you don't learn like that." Holly suggested that it had an impact on her even after she had left school. She said: "When you then write yourself off at school as being 'non-academic,' that does shape your future somewhat." Following the broadcast of Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution, Holly responded to the documentary and a post made about it by Jamie. He had reflected on the reaction to the project in a post on Instagram this morning. He wrote: "I've been completely blown away by the response to Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution. The stories so many of you have shared- about your own journeys, struggles, and strengths - have been powerful, emotional, and deeply moving. "If you've got something to say about dyslexia or neurodiversity -whether it's your own experience, a frustration, or a big idea -please share it with [Secretary of State for Education] @bridgetphillipsonmp with the hashtag #ComeOnBridget and let her know that change is needed! If you missed it last night on @channel4 hit the link in my bio to catch up #ComeOnBridget." Holly later shared the post on her Instagram Story and wrote in her caption: "Well done [Jamie] such an important documentary! Just the beginning of this conversation." Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution is available through Channel 4.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution lays bare shocking figures, but it doesn't have any answers
Special educational needs and disabilities – better known in the media these days by the punchy acronym SEND – are a hot topic in education. For a long time considered a marginal issue for disruptive children, the discourse has shifted in recent years as parents have pressured schools into better accommodation for young people with neurodiverse conditions, like autism, ADHD and dyslexia. It is the last of these which has found a champion in the form of TV chef Jamie Oliver, whose crusade on behalf of Britain's dyslexics is captured in a new Channel 4 documentary, Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution. 'I've been doing this for 20 years,' Oliver tells a room full of assembled politicians. 'I've been through 17 heads of education and many, many prime ministers.' He is referring, of course, to his 2004 campaign to reform school dinners, which made him, briefly, the most hated man in Britain's schoolyards. It wasn't just children who critiqued his advocacy: he was accused, too, of being part of a wealthy elite propagating top-down paternalism. And yet for all the political and social change since the start of the millennium, Oliver's televisual persona has remained the same. An approachable Jack the Lad, no controversy seems capable of denting his portfolio career, including countless television shows, wildly successful cookbooks and novels aimed at children, and a restaurant group. And this has all been achieved while struggling with a form of dyslexia that makes reading and writing a challenge for him. 'You're probably better at reading than me now,' he tells his eight-year-old-son. 'And I'm the second biggest author in the country.' And so, donning the same hat he used to eradicate turkey twizzlers from school cafeterias, Oliver sets off to raise awareness of how dyslexic children are being failed. The statistics are worrying: 10 per cent of the population are believed to be dyslexic, and, when rolled up with other neurodiverse conditions, that number rises to 25 per cent. More shocking still is the show's claim that 50 per cent of the prison population is dyslexic, which feels, instinctively, a direct corollary of the fact that 90 per cent of excluded children are neurodiverse. SEND parents – who have become one of Britain's most powerful lobbying groups – will know all of this, but for the lay viewer the figures will be troubling. Equally concerning, however, is the lack of answers. And this is an area where Channel 4 and Jamie Oliver struggle to make inroads. Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution involves much rumination on the current state of play, but the mooted insurrection of the education system is harder to pin down. Earlier intervention seems important (children are not assessed until they are eight, and even then, it is not mandatory), but what then? More training for teachers, similarly, is highlighted, but the nature and application of that training remain elusive. It is no bad thing for Oliver to simply use his platform to raise awareness of an issue, but when you call it a 'revolution', it feels like there should be some clearer glimpse of the promised land. Because, as the show suggests, there is little appetite to throw more money at the education system right now. A room full of Britain's politicians show their support for the endeavour (including Liberal Democrat MP Adam Dance revealing that dyslexia-related bullying caused him to attempt to take his own life as a young person), but commitments remain vague. Education secretary Bridget Phillipson, when she appears, looks like she'd rather be anywhere else. 'Will we be seeing some radical, strategic restructuring of teacher training?' Oliver asks her. She lethargically straight-bats his questions. 'Money alone isn't enough,' she mumbles, perhaps thinking of the multimillion-pound bill left to town councils by the collapse of Oliver's restaurant chain. 'I think we have to reform the system.' But reform, like revolution, is an easy word to say, and a harder one to enact. And so, at the climax of Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution, as a crowd of supporters assemble outside parliament, there's an air of optimism. SEND support has never been higher on the political agenda, and Oliver, one of the most effective agitators in Britain, has played his part in this. But the show mirrors the great challenge of modern politics. It's far easier to identify problems – to point to injustice – than it is to locate their solutions, and, in doing so, initiate the sort of change that a revolution requires.
Telegraph
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution, review: Oliver takes no waffle from politicians in new campaign
'Secretary of State, I've got Jamie Oliver on line one,' must be a sentence that strikes fear into the heart of our leaders. It means Oliver is doing one of his campaigns again. This time he's calling for an overhaul of teaching in schools, arguing – convincingly – that the current system does not meet the needs of dyslexic children. That means Bridget Phillipson is the hapless politician in his sights. In Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution (Channel 4), we watched as Oliver demanded action, and Phillipson came out with some waffle. The thing is, Oliver is really good at this. He goes into meetings armed with information and personal testimonies, determined to ask direct questions, and unwilling to let people off the hook. Dyslexic himself, he is as passionate about this subject as he was about improving school dinners 20 years ago. After greeting him with a nervous expression, which showed that she would rather be anywhere else, Phillipson said some stuff about this issue being very important. Oliver waited politely for her to finish, then cut to the chase. 'Will we be seeing some radical, strategic restructuring of teacher training?' 'There's a lot we can do,' Phillipson non-answered. Oliver pressed on. 'Do you think that you might be able to have uncomfortable conversations with the Treasury?' Phillipson waffled some more. Oliver gave it short shrift. 'The public has got slightly disillusioned with nothing happening. Do you feel that pressure?' he asked. Ouch. 'We've got the space to do it, we've got to get on and make it happen,' said Phillipson, helplessly. You will notice that this is not a promise to do anything. Oliver makes sure that his programmes are as easy to follow as his recipes. If you have no personal experience of dyslexia, the issue may never have crossed your mind but, according to the statistics here, 10-15 per cent of every primary school class is dyslexic (Dyslexia UK says 10 per cent of the population is affected). To explain it, text on the screen spelled out how some dyslexics see words: 'Dyslexia is a learning difference that affects the adility to reab, swell, write, grocess and remember information.' Oliver spoke candidly about his own experiences of feeling worthless at school, and the fact he didn't read a book until his 30s, despite being the second-biggest-selling author in the UK. 'I knew things were bad when my own six- and seven-year-olds were reading better than me,' he said. Throughout the programme we also heard from others with dyslexia, including the well-known – Holly Willoughby and Made In Chelsea's Jamie Laing – to members of the public who got in touch after Oliver put out a call for stories. A middle-aged woman said she could still feel in the pit of her stomach how scared she was when told to read out loud in class. At a House of Commons reception, Adam Dance, the Lib Dem MP for Yeovil, spoke of being bullied as a child and trying to take his own life. Oliver met children now who said they saw no future for themselves, and he drew a link between dyslexia and crime: according to this programme, 50 per cent of prison inmates are dyslexic. It's not hard to see how being written off at school, failing exams or being expelled, can lead someone down the wrong path. In the world of neat, hour-long TV programmes, this is all very simple. Improve the teaching of dyslexic children and you'll get a happier society with fewer criminals. But of course it's far more difficult than that. There were few details about what this inclusive teaching would look like, what the outcomes would be, or where the funds would come from. Unfortunately, you can't just do a Jamie Oliver bish, bash, bosh job on a subject like this.
Daily Mirror
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
TV chef read first book at 33 despite becoming best-selling author
While he's known to have written over 20 cookbooks, becoming the bestselling non-fiction author in the UK, Jamie Oliver admits he still struggles to read because of his dyslexia. Jamie Oliver is the second best-selling British author behind J.K. Rowling - but he's never been much of a reader due to his dyslexia. In fact, he didn't read his first book until his early thirties. In his latest documentary, Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution, the celebrity chef, author and outspoken advocate is taking his lifelong fight with dyslexia public in a bold new way. With raw honesty and righteous anger, Jamie Oliver lifts the lid on how deeply the system is failing neurodivergent children - and confronts Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson in a fierce campaign. 'Our young people deserve better,' he says in his compelling feature, 'We want truly inclusive schools where every child can thrive. That change is a long time overdue.' For Jamie, the fight is personal. Though now a bestselling author of over 20 cookbooks and a household name, his own school experience was shaped by struggles, shame and silence. As a child, Jamie was placed in special needs classes for five years. 'I really struggled to read in primary school,' he says, 'I read my first [book] when I was about 33.' Leaving education behind was a relief. 'When I left school, it was, 'good riddance to you,'' he admits. 'The memories of no books, spelling errors, crosses repeated. I expected very little of myself because success in school is built on things a dyslexic brain isn't good at.' READ MORE: 'I made one change to my meals and lost weight, felt fuller and cut down my caffeine' Now 50, Jamie still grapples with challenges most take for granted. 'My inner voice isn't as confident when I'm reading,' he says. 'My eyes aren't really tracking well. I'm used to it. Some days are better than others. I'm better when I'm less tired.' Despite the hurdles, Jamie has built a wildly successful career and a happy personal haven. Married to former model and writer Juliette Norton, he's a proud father of five. But fatherhood brought some uncomfortable reckonings. 'I knew things were bad when my own children were reading better than me,' he says. He also realised he wasn't alone in feeling out of place in school. 'School was tough because I didn't get it, now seeing kids and families go through that same pain in 2025 makes me angry. I didn't realise how big this was and how upsetting it is.' That anger became fuel for Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution, a hard-hitting, eye-opening journey through the lived experiences of neurodivergent people across the UK. He's not alone in the crusade. Celebrity friends join him to share their own painful experiences. Holly Willoughby recalls how her self-worth was chipped away by red-inked spelling tests. 'I was terrible at spelling,' Holly says, 'I knew that because I'd always get really poor results at spelling tests. When I'd get my homework back, there'd be red pen all over it where there would be 'silly' mistakes.'' Reality star and entrepreneur Jamie Laing echoes the frustration and daily challenges dyslexic individuals face. 'I don't understand how people can write down a word they've heard,' he says. 'I don't understand how the words go, to the point where some of them look upside down and backwards.' At school, his struggles often led to punishment rather than support. 'I would get in trouble a lot,' he says, 'I would be in detention because I was frustrated.' Dyslexia, as defined by the NHS, is a common learning difficulty that primarily affects reading, writing and spelling. But its impact is far more widespread - touching memory, processing, self-esteem and even long-term outcomes in life. It's estimated that up to one in every ten people in the UK has dyslexia, though many go undiagnosed for years, if at all. And while it has nothing to do with intelligence, the stigma and misunderstandings persist. Jamie Oliver knows that first-hand. 'It didn't feel like (dyslexia doesn't affect intelligence) when I was in school,' he says, 'A lot of dyslexic kids don't feel that. Those feelings can affect your start in life.' Cooking became a lifeline for Jamie. 'Cooking really saved me. I felt free to create in the kitchen. Cooking gave me the confidence to not go too dark with dyslexia,' he says. 'Being extracted out of class for a special needs class isn't cool. It came with a bit of a tag, a dunce's hat. Before long, the feelings of not being enough or being dumb, even in primary school, were in my psyche.'
