Jamie Oliver and wife secretly took in two Ukrainian refugee families
Jamie Oliver has revealed one of his good deeds amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Thousands of people were forced to flee their homes in search of safety after Russia’s President Vladimir Putin invaded last year.
Many households in the UK took in refugees – and Jamie was one of them.
Appearing as a guest judge on MasterChef Australia, the celebrity chef, 47, shared that he’s still living with two Ukrainian families.
In fact, he and his wife Jools, 48, have been living with the families for seven months, Jamie told his fellow judges.
The cookbook author was tucking in to a Russian and Ukrainian dish called borscht and pampushka, made by contesant Larissa.
‘With things going on in the world at the moment, it’s kind of profound you’re here this year with both a Russian and Ukrainian dish,’ Jamie said.
‘Can I give you a little secret that no one really knows?’, he confessed.
‘I have had two Ukrainian families living with me for the, like, the last seven months.
‘We have done fundraisers with top chefs from Ukraine, so I have had my fair share of borscht.’
‘This is absolutely fabulous,’ he praised the dish.
By early November, according to the UNHCR, the number of Ukrainian refugees recorded across Europe was around 7.8million.
The countries receiving the largest numbers of refugees were Russia, Poland, and Germany, while the United Kingdom took in just over 200,000.
Jamie’s episode was the season premiere of the Australian version of the cookery show, which was filmed before the shock death of Jock Zonfrillo.
Zonfrillo death was confirmed last week as his family released a statement.
‘With completely shattered hearts and without knowing how we can possibly move through life without him, we are devastated to share that Jock passed away yesterday,’ they said.
Police later confirmed that his death was not being treated as suspicious, while Channel Ten in Australia postponed the premiere of the new season of MasterChef Australia as tributes poured in for the TV personality.
He was also honoured in a special episode of Australian show The Project on Sunday.
Several notable figures within the culinary entertainment industry paid homage to Zonfrillo’s memory, including Gordon Ramsay, who was brought to tears.
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