Jamie Oliver Is Defending Letting His Daughters Watch the Birth Of Little Brother River

Opinions were split earlier this year when the TV chef and his wife allowed their 12 and 14-year-old daughters to witness the birth of their little brother.

Poppy Honey and Daisy Boo were in the birthing suite when his wife Jools gave birth to baby River Rocket, her fifth child last August.

Speaking to Good Housekeeping during a festive shoot for the January edition of the magazine, Jamie defends his decision and said it gave the girls a new respect for their mum:

"It's only controversial to really strange people! It was the right age for them, the right scenario for us, and I witnessed their initial raw emotion as the little one was handed to them. I know they respect their mum now even more than they already did."

The 41-year-old chef and restaurateur is also father to Petal Blossom who is six and Buddy Bear who is five.

He said he and Jools gave the decision a lot of thought and he stands by their choice to allow his two eldest daughters to cut the umbilical cord saying it was a very positive experience.

This week, Jools was criticised across social media for the way she was holding the baby in its baby carrier. Jamie shared the picture on Instagram wishing his wife a happy 42nd birthday – but soon the couple came under attack as followers claimed the baby was not positioned correctly in its sling.

According to the Mailonline, Jamie also put rest to any speculation about whether or not a sixth child could be on the cards.

"This will be the last one. It is just getting ridiculous otherwise."

Jamie continued: "I love kids. My family keep me honest, I have a weird job, a weird life, but my family keep me quite real."