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JANE ATKINSON
Yes, Jamie’s boy is nepo baby but it can be double-edged sword… so instead of slating him why don’t we support him?
If you had the power to make your child’s dreams come true, you would probably do exactly the same thing
I TURNED on the radio on Thursday morning to hear adults slating a 13-year-old.
Cruel. But true.
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That teenager is Buddy Oliver, the son of celebrity chef Jamie who has caused outrage to some by releasing his first cookery book called Let’s Cook aimed at encouraging children into the kitchen.
What a pukka idea.
The fourth of Jamie and Jools’ five kids, Buddy was born to cook. He has certainly seen more of it than your average kid.
His little videos on social media are a joy to watch and he already has his own online cookery show.
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Jamie has said that little Buddy “doesn’t want to be a chef or a TV presenter . . . but the idea of trying to get other kids to cook is a really positive thing.”
Yes it is.
But he also says Buddy will not be a nepo baby. Which is utterly ridiculous because — like it or lump it, Jamie — that is exactly what he is. Many will say Buddy only got his break because of his well-connected Dad.
And, understandably, some parents are outraged by that.
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It is natural for kids to want to follow in their parents’ footsteps into an industry they have become so familiar with while growing up but it is also galling for the thousands with little Marcos and Delias at home who wouldn’t even get a response if they emailed a publishing company.
Nepo babies are in all walks of life. We have all seen kids who are often less qualified using family connections to get fancy jobs in posh offices while others get turned away for work experience.
Jamie Oliver's son Buddy shows off his knife skills in cooking video
But those celebrity kids who get a leg up and saunter into a prized gig are utterly irritating because it is far more visible.
For them, though, it can be a double-edged sword as they must work twice as hard to prove themselves in their career — and to us, their harshest critics.
Barney Walsh has faced it. He and dad Bradley became a duo presenting Gladiators and the youngster was slammed for his abilities.
Some — such as Aaron Spelling’s daughter Tori and Clint Eastwood’s son Scott — tried to get into acting by pretending their fathers weren’t famous, without success.
And others have truly proved their talent.
Embraced the perks
Corrie star Sally Dynevor’s daughter Phoebe, Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson’s daughter Dakota and Goldie Hawn’s daughter Kate Hudson have all revealed they have just as much — if not more — acting ability than their folks.
And the daughters of Kate Moss, Sadie Frost and Cindy Crawford have all shown they are just as competent as their mothers in the modelling world.
Inheriting their mum’s genes didn’t do them any harm, of course.
On Friday Jack Quaid — the son of superstars Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan — said he has no problem with being a nepo baby.
Refreshingly, Martin and Shirlie Kemp’s son Roman has also openly embraced the perks and proved he is fantastic at his job too. He says he even has a group chat with Brooklyn Beckham and Lily Allen to discuss it.
Brooklyn has flitted from footballer to model to photographer. He also tried his hand at being a chef too, with those laughably awful cookery demonstrations — if you can call making a bacon sandwich cookery.
He once admitted: “You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
“When you’re growing up, especially with the dad that I had, everyone’s like, ‘Oh, the oldest son’s going to be a footballer’.”
Now chef Jamie’s oldest son, at the tender age of 13, is following in his dad’s footsteps. Maybe he will be a kitchen ace, maybe he won’t.
But let’s embrace the fact that, just like his dad, this teenager wants to help other kids like him — and instead of slating little Buddy why don’t we support him?
And remember that if you had the power to make your child’s dreams come true, you would probably do exactly the same thing.
Suki diet is berry optimistic
I AM sure I am not the only woman who looked at the photo of Suki Waterhouse posing in a bikini on holiday and had a gigantic pang of jealousy.
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The woman only gave birth four months ago and looked incredible!
But the caption explained it: “Not enough time in the world for the amount of berries and books I wish to consume.”
As the saying goes, ‘you are what you eat’.
And it’s fair to say on holiday it isn’t berries that I go for – it’s more like whatever fat-laden local delicacy I can get my hands on.
Gareth sets the goals
I BET I’m not the only one who has developed a bit of a crush on Gareth Southgate.
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What’s not to love?
The England manager is cool, calm and collected.
He supports animal charities, adores walking his dogs and is a loyal family man who prefers eating Fat Rascals (a tasty-sounding scone with glacé cherries and almonds) in his local tea room in North Yorkshire to posing outside posh restaurants.
Gareth is a one of the nice guys. He puts others first and even ditched his waistcoats for a more down-with-the-kids look, purely so his England players could feel more at ease with him.
He’s had the kind of criticism that would have most men crumbling.
But instead of wallowing, he has taken it on the chin and used it to grow stronger. Now he’s helping this country to bounce with enthusiasm and optimism.
Tonight we all hope he’s the manager of the winning team.
I wish them all the luck in the world and hope, win or lose, that he truly gets the credit he deserves and that instead of plain old Mr Southgate, we all get used to referring to him as Sir Gareth.
I won't fail my Layla
THE “humanisation” of pets as “fur babies’’ has apparently led to fewer people choosing to put them down and instead keeping them alive with costly treatments.
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The Competition and Markets Authority says some pet owners are paying for expensive treatment that would previously have been “addressed through euthanasia” as they seek to keep their beloved animals alive.
And I am one of those pet owners. Our boxer dog Layla has got kidney disease and extensive allergies, she’s undergone chemo-therapy for cancer and had a recent operation on her cruciate ligament.
She even suffered eye surgery because our five-year-old accidentally scraped her eyeball with the end of a banana (be warned, they can be sharp!) and had to have yet another operation to repair it.
Yes, years ago she would have been put down; yes, she is our fur baby; yes, we have remortgaged and; yes, our vet is giggling his head off all the way to the bank.
But I don’t regret it for a second because she is still only seven and is now living life to the full and totally pain-free.
One day sooner or later we will take her to that vet for the last time.
But for now I am truly grateful for those amazing advances in veterinary care and being able to choose to keep her with us for just a little bit longer.
“I HAD to pick my dead baby up from the side of the road. I hugged him so tight – a hug I will never forget.”
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Just 25 short words from grieving mum Shalorna Warner that will send a chill down every parent’s spine.
Little Zachary Blades was just eight months old when he and his aunt were killed by drink-driver Darryl Anderson on the A1M in Durham.
He was doing twice the speed limit at 141mph, was three times over the limit and was even WhatsApping photographs of his speedometer moments before the crash to “show off”.
He later told police “sometimes mistakes happen” and tried to say he wasn’t even driving at the time.
Grieving Shalorna has rightly described him as an “evil monster”. He’s been sentenced to 17 years and three months and banned from driving for 21 years and six months.
But that means 38-year-old Anderson, who has previous convictions for drink-driving, could be back behind the wheel by the time he is 60. Which is disgusting.
This man should never be allowed back behind the wheel of any vehicle, ever again.
Lack of class
NURSERY teacher Lauren Paige has published a guide online, saying what to buy your kid’s teacher as an end-of-year gift.
So, apparently, it’s no booze, no mugs and no gym membership.
Charming.
And this woman is, somehow, supposed to teach children one of the major life lessons – of actually being grateful for what you receive.
Thankfully she’s an American teacher.
But I know what I’d be buying her if she looked after my child.
Absolutely nothing!
Bruisy bonus
GRAHAM SUTHERLAND is presumably laughing all the way to the bank because he’s in line for an £800,000 bonus.
But I bet I’m not the only one of his frustrated train passengers who would love to wipe the smile off his face.
Mr Sutherland is the chief executive officer of First Group, the operator of rail services including Avanti West Coast, Great Western Railway and South Western Railway which, as many of his unlucky passengers know, are riddled with cancellations and terrible service.
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Apparently he’s getting this gigantic bung for hitting eco and diversity targets, which proves these rail bosses don’t give a damn about the actual passengers on board.
What a disgrace.