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TV chef Jamie Oliver didn't read his first book until he was 38 years old - but the novel he eventually chose was later made into an iconic Hollywood film. Diagnosed with severe dyslexia, the first book Jamie ever read was Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - the sequel to her dystopian hit The Hunger Games, made into a film starring Jennifer Lawrence.

Jamie confessed that he used to "get bored easily" and struggled to read, admitting: "I've never read a book in my life, which I know sounds incredibly ignorant but I'm dyslexic and get bored easily. The one book I nearly finished was Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain."

But Jamie confessed he "threw the book in the fire" after the "author came to Britain and didn't stop slagging me off for five years". He joked: "So on principle I threw it on the fire. He's since apologised and we've made up. I should probably read the rest now!"

Speaking about his foray into novels, Jamie said: "I'm dyslexic and until recently I'd never got through a book. But I read Catching Fire. I loved disappearing into a story."

Earlier this year, Jamie produced a documentary exploring dyslexia, admitting he felt "thick" while sitting in primary school as he struggled with reading and writing.

He's since written more than 20 cookbooks, including Eat Yourself Health, Jamie's Comfort Food and The Naked Chef.

The first books, he recorded on a Dictaphone to avoid having to write, admitting on BBC Breakfast that he "always had a chip on my shoulder" after his experiences at school.

But when he started working on a series of easy-to-read novels for younger readers, he "sat down for 10 minutes a day" - which he branded "as long as I can focus" - and wrote the 14-chapter book, Billy and the Giant Adventure.

He said: "It was that weird time in lockdown, and I started thinking, as a growing adult, how do I develop myself."