Jamie Oliver thinks that dyslexic children can count themselves "happy".

The 42-year-old TV chef was classified as a child with "special needs" at school. His reading and spelling weakness was his key to success, as the Briton now reveals to 'Radio Times'. He also believes that such children should be envied: "I seriously believe that if someone tells you 'Johnny is dyslexic', you should get on your knees, shake the child's hand and say 'Well done, you happier happy boy."

Dyslexia is a language disorder that makes it difficult for those affected to read carefully and fluently. Jamie, who has made more than 128 million euros with his cookbooks, is convinced that his poor reading and spelling skills have helped him to see life from a different perspective and to solve some difficult problems: "When I am in a meeting I see the problems differently and I deal with things differently. For some jobs you have to sweat and cry and get your hands dirty. As a dyslexic, I just do things when there's a lot to do. It's like being a massive one , ten-ton chunk rolling down the hill. "