Jamie Oliver: 'I'm not David Attenborough'

Jamie Oliver has defended his swearing on Ministry Of Food, claiming that he should not be expected to act like David Attenborough.

The celebrity chef was criticised last year when the F-word was uttered 23 times in a 50-minute episode of show.

However, Oliver said that while he does not swear on his cooking programmes, he does while making documentaries. "There was a lot of swearing in Ministry but I was incredibly emotionally attached to it. When I am making these documentaries I never think about what is appropriate, I'm just wearing my heart on my sleeve," he told The Mirror.

"I am not David Attenborough. I want people to relate to me down the pub, and every now and again the pub is not fine dining, is it? But it won't happen again. It's as simple as that."

He added: "I am sorry. It apparently lessens the effect of the good things I want to say, but it is after nine o'clock and there is a remote control. I'll have to make an effort not to swear, or hope that the production company covers my a**e and edits out all that naughty swearing."