Jamie Oliver reveals the adorable reason he signed son Buddy up for ballet classes

Jamie Oliver has given some heartwarming insights into his family life with wife Jools and their five children in a candid interview with Now magazine.

During the chat, the dad of five opened up about his more 'feminine' side, explaining how he encouraged son Buddy to learn ballet.

'I'm not into the whole "boys are blue and girls are pink" thing. Girls can – and should – be builders and I even send Buddy to ballet classes, for instance,' he explained. 'Some people rear up about that, but I'm really into Billy Elliott and I think he should go for it.'

'I have a sewing machine and can fix things, do turn-ups and mend clothes,' he continued of upending supposed 'gender roles' in his household. 'I'm good at darning and sewing and I can plait the girls' hair. When River was a newborn, I got up and did night feeds, as of course I should. I wouldn't say I'm particularly good at any of them, but I'm okay at a range of so-called feminine things and I do enjoy them.'

Promoting his new cookbook and TV show, Jamie Oliver's 5 Ingredients - Quick & Easy Food, and his ongoing commitment to tackling childhood obesity, Jamie opened up about parenting his five children and being a hands-on dad.

Jamie's latest business venture is all about making meal times quick and easy, and thinking twice about reaching for the takeaway app after a busy day.

'I'm trying to not sound cocky but I'm thrilled with this cookbook,' he said. It's about making fantastic food with just five ingredients – why didn't I think of that before? There are things in it that are naughty and some are super-healthy, so rather than get a takeaway, pick up these simple ingredients and make something amazing at home.'

Even his own children are prone to being fussy about what's on their plates, but Jamie knows it's all about working around it.

'The older two are into everything – Asian stir-fries, sushi, curry, the lot. Petal and Buddy's taste buds aren't quite there yet, so they like their food more modular and separate on the plate. And Rocket has normal food, just made quite lumpy and cooked with no salt.'

'But meals can be chaos when somebody's crying or deciding they don't like something they used to like. This week I had Buddy refusing to eat a tomato on his plate when all month he was munching them straight off the plant!'