Britain’s biggest family The Radfords reveal they’ve moved to £850,000 secluded farmhouse after ‘celebrity hunters’ kept turning up at their home
By Bridie Pearson-jones For Mailonline[1]
Published: 16:25, 11 January 2024 | Updated: 16:28, 11 January 2024
Noel and Sue Radford have revealed how they were forced to kick five of their children out after relocating to the countryside.
The parents of Britain’s biggest family have lived in a Victorian house in Morecambe, Lancashire with several of their children for 11 years.
They tried sell it three years ago, but were unable to get the price they wanted, and monetary strains forced them to stay put.
But now the couple revealed they are doing better financially, thanks to various TV and social media deals, allowing them to purchase a bigger and more secluded house.
In 22 Kids and Counting, which airs on Sunday on Channel 5[2], Sue and Noel also reveal they want to leave because fans keep showing up on their doorstep, taking pictures of the house and even wandering into their garden.
Noel and Sue Radford have revealed how they were forced to kick five of their children out after relocating to the countryside.
They are pictured with 18 of their children
The parents of Britain’s biggest family have lived in a Victorian house in Morecambe, Lancashire with several of their children for 11 years
In the episode, one fan even reveals they’ve travelled from Scotland to get a glimpse at the family, and was delighted to visit their pie shop.’
‘People turning up at the house been a regular occurrence,’ Sue explains.
‘I’m happy to speak to people when I’m out and about, but on your doorstep is too much’.
After a slow start with their househunting, Noel and Sue eventually learn of a house in the countryside which they say is ‘perfect’.
‘We’ve found our dream home,’ Sue says as she looks around the five-bedroom, 2,690sqft country house, which was listed for GBP850,000.
The next day Noel decided to make an offer and is delighted when it’s accepted.
But quickly many of the children realise that even with two to a room, there isn’t enough space for all the children.
This leaves James, 20, Daniel, 24, Luke, 23, Jack, 26, and Katie, 21, without a roof over their heads.
The family are pictured at Christmas – Sue has 22 children and 10 grandchildren
Sue Radford took to Instagram to reveal herself and her husband Noel have written their first book
Daniel says he’s going to move to Australia, while Luke – who recently came out as bisexual – says he hopes to move somewhere gay-friendly and explores Manchester’s gay village.
Katie decided to find a ‘love nest’ with her boyfriend, but is dismayed at the price of rent in Morecambe.
The couple are parents to Chris, 34, Sophie, 29, Chloe, 28, Jack, 26, Daniel, 24, Luke, 22, Millie, 22, Katie, 21, James, 20, Ellie, 18, Aimee, 17, Josh, 16, Max, 14, Tillie, 13, Oscar, 11, Casper, 10, Hallie, eight, Phoebe, seven, Archie, six, Bonnie, four, and Heidie, three.
The eldest three, as well as Millie – herself a mum-of-three – are already living on their own.
The remaining 13 will move to the new house, sharing rooms.
All five of the Radfords children fought back with Luke saying he ‘fought so hard for his own room’.
‘When was the last time any of them did any washing, cleaning or tidying?’ Noel said.
The show chronicles the lives of the Radford family
Sue and Radford and almost all their brood visited Disneyworld in April and in August 2022
‘When I was 18, I left home, I started work at 5am, worked there til 1ish, I then went on to my second job delivering kitchens until 8, 9, 10 o’clock at night,’ he went on.
‘I love them to bits, but maybe they need a kick up the backside. They need to find their own way.
‘Why don’t you want to leave home?’ he asks the group.
‘You want to stay with mum because she cooks and cleans for you, you lot won’t leave home so we’ll have to,’ he added.
‘I can get my own room,’ Luke adds.
‘You can get your own flat,’ Noel adds. ‘The only thing you’re getting is left behind,’ he went on.
Emotional, Sue can’t quite let the children leave.
‘One child leaving home is emotional enough, but I have five children leaving,’ she says through tears.
‘I arrived at this house with nine kids, now we have 22,’ she added.
After their offer is accepted, Noel gathers all the children together.
‘I know there’s a lot of rumours going around the house,’ he says.
He then separates everyone into two groups, before addressing the group of older children.
‘I look at you and I think “can you look after yourself?”
‘And “no” is the answer.
‘But “tough, you’re gonna have to learn,'” he says.
‘You five can’t come with us,’ he adds.
But Sue, distraught at the idea of the children being too far away, adds they can stay in their existing home.
‘The thought of you all going your separate ways is too much to bare. As much as I want the house, I want my family more,’ Sue says.
‘It was just a problem I couldn’t solve, until now.
‘We want you guys to stay here and rent it from us
They will have to pay their parents rent, and start to cook and clean for themselves.
Daniel then asks if Sue will still cook for him, which say a firm ‘no’.
‘I’m alright washing, I know how to make chicken nuggets and pasta, I don’t mind cleaning but I don’t like doing the bathroom, people pee and poo in there it’s not my cup of tea,’ Katie adds.
The news comes as Sue delighted fans by announcing she’s written her first book with husband Noel, The Radfords[3] Making Life Count.
The mother-of-22, from Morecambe in Lancashire, who took to Instagram to share the exciting news said ‘it’s something we’ve wanted to do for a long time’, and will tell their story ‘from first meeting to every pregnancy, birth and beyond’.
Sue and Noel previously raised eyebrows when it emerged she first fell pregnant when she was 13 and he was 17.
In a video message to fans Noel added that they have been working on the project for ‘years’ and promised that it will go into ‘so much more detail’ then their TV show.
The post read: ‘We hope you enjoyed tonight’s #22KidsandCounting- the first episode of 2024 and the new series.
For those that missed it, you can catch up on.
‘We feel so lucky to be kicking off the year with our fourth series and as well as the show we have something very exciting launching in 2024…
‘We are thrilled to announce you can now pre-order our first book and it will be available to buy in stores from 29th Feb 2024!
‘So many of you have asked over the years if we’ll ever bring out a book and it’s something we’ve wanted to do for a long time and now finally we’ve found time amongst the chaos of daily life to do it!
‘It’s been such a lovely experience, reflecting on our journey to becoming Britain’s biggest family from first meeting to every pregnancy, birth and beyond.
‘We love sharing our lives with you and we hope you’ll enjoy the book and all our stories old and new. We’ll pop a link for the pre-order in our bio.
They concluded: ‘As ever, thank you for all your support and kindness. From our family to yours, Happy New Year!
Let’s make 2024 really count x’
22 Kids and Counting airs Sunday on Channel 5
References
- ^ Bridie Pearson-jones For Mailonline (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Channel 5 (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ The Radfords (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ The Radfords (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Channel 5 (www.dailymail.co.uk)