The father of Britain’s largest family, Noel Radford, has defended getting his now wife Sue pregnant when he was 17 and she was 13, saying “they were both children in the eyes of the law”.
In his new book, The Radfords: Making Life Count, Noel, from Morecambe, Lancashire, now 53, says they were “both just children” in the eyes of the law and “they didn’t knock on the door”. saying he was in trouble.’
The 22-year-old father added that he “isn’t bothered” by comments saying he should have been arrested, but that negative comments “really affect kids.”
“What happened back then was obviously brought up again in recent years, after we became known through television,” says Noel.
‘People have inevitably talked about the situation and it has been written about in newspapers and discussed on social media.
“A lot of attention has been paid to this and in some ways it was probably worse for us than when it actually happened.” “A lot of people have given their opinion.”
The father of Britain’s largest family, Noel Radford, has defended getting his now wife Sue pregnant when he was 17 and she was 13, saying “they were both children in the eyes of the law”. The couple is shown getting married when Sue was 17 and Noel was 21.
The 22-year-old father added that he “isn’t bothered” by comments saying he should have been arrested, but that negative comments “really affect kids.” The family is in the photo.
“But we were both kids, it wasn’t like I was 10 or 15 years older than Sue.
‘However, for many people things are black and white and you are tarred with the same brush as other people in totally different situations.
‘We were young and we were stupid. But we wanted to continue as a couple.’
Noel added that, even though he was over the age of consent and Sue was under, he “didn’t have any problems with any of the authorities” because back then “it was all up to your mums and dads and what they thought.” “.
“They didn’t knock on the door saying I was in big trouble,” he said.
“I think someone, somewhere, had to report it, maybe the doctor, but there was no repercussion.”
The couple were shocked when it came to light on their TV show that Sue had just turned 14 when she had her first child, while Noel was 18 and a half.
‘Some of the comments from people were brutal: that I should have been arrested and things like that.
‘Even though he was only 17 years old, he was still a child, even in the eyes of the law.
‘But it doesn’t bother me. People will say what they want. I do not care what they say
Sue, now 48, added that the bad comment “affects the children”, especially her eldest son Chris.
“When people talk today about Noel and me and what happened all those years ago, it now affects Chris too – it’s not just about us anymore.
“They were dragging us back into it, but for Chris it was the first time he had to face people talking about it,” Sue added.
The family pictured at Christmas: Sue has 22 children and 10 grandchildren.
Sue Radford took to Instagram to reveal that she and her husband Noel have written their first book, which is out today.
“Noel, like me, was still studying at the time,” he continued.
In the book, the couple also reveal that they met because Noel was friends with Sue’s older brother and they first met when Noel was 11 and Sue was seven.
They kissed for the first time in August 1988, after a first date ‘walking around Kendal’, Sue became pregnant in September.
“I was only 13 and I couldn’t believe it,” Sue said.
“For both of us, it was just ‘Oh shit,'” Noel added.
The couple, who were adopted as children, decided they did not want their baby adopted and were determined to raise him themselves.
Noel dropped out of catering college to get a job in a supermarket, while Sue began homeschooling for a few months, before returning to school at the start of Year 10 and doing her GCSEs.
A year later, in 1992, the couple married. Sue’s father had to obtain special permission from the vicar.
The couple, who were adopted as children, decided they did not want their baby adopted and were determined to raise him themselves.
Now, more than three decades later, the couple are parents to Chris, 34, Sophie, 30, Chloe, 28, Jack, 26, Daniel, 24, Luke, 23, Millie, 22, Katie, 21, James, 20, Ellie . 18, Aimee, 17, Josh, 16, Max, 15, Tillie, 13, Oscar, 12, Casper, 11, Hallie, eight, Phoebe, seven, Archie, six, Bonnie, five and Heidie, three. They also had a son, Alfie, who was stillborn in 2014.
Millie, Sophie and Christopher have three children each, while Chloe is also a mother of one.
They found fame when they started a documentary series, 15 Kids and Counting in 2018.
The show, which now airs on Channel 5 and is now called 22 Kids and Counting, details his life in Morecambe, Lancashire.
In the book, Sue revealed that she considered leaving her husband Noel after facing difficulties with her business in the 2000s.
The couple had then invested in premises on the main street of bustling Kendal, Cumbria, to expand their baking business.
But an outbreak of foot and mouth disease, believed to have cost the UK economy £8 billion in total, hit the country and left both devastated.
The couple, who are parents to the UK’s “largest family” with 22 children, had invested in a premises on the main street of bustling Kendal, Cumbria, to expand their baking business. Pictured last month
Earlier this year, Sue and Noel revealed they moved to the country with their youngest children, while the older children stayed in the house they grew up in. In last year’s photo
Talking with him MirrorSue, 48, admitted she was struggling to see how her “marriage” would survive.
“There were days when I thought: ‘that’s it, I’m leaving the business and Noel, I can’t take it anymore,'” he revealed.
‘But our marriage has always been strong and having children kept us right. We stuck together and got through it. “It was swim or sink and we chose to swim.”
The couple also spoke about the difficult time on a previous episode of 22 Kids & Counting, on Channel 5, in March last year.
The parents explained that at the time they were “very proud” to have their own business in Heysham, Lancashire and “wanted to expand”.
They took out a “huge” loan to invest in their prosperous dream, only to suffer a national disaster.
“At first it worked very well,” Noel explained. “Things were going well, and before long here, foot and mouth disease hit the country and, to be honest, I think Cumbria was one of the worst affected areas.”
The parents of Britain’s largest family had lived in a Victorian house in Morecambe, Lancashire, with several of their children for 11 years. Photographed in 2022
In another recent episode of 22 Kids and Counting, Noel and Sue clashed over their approach to parenting, after Noel allowed his younger children to stay up late and eat candy, causing them to be late for school. The couple photographed in 2022
Cumbria, with some 893 cases, was severely affected by the outbreak, leaving the area devastated.
“It just killed tourism,” Noel added, as the family sank into despair.
“I can’t even describe it, it just caused a lot of stress,” Sue revealed. ‘You used to go to bed thinking about the debt, you used to wake up thinking about the debt, you used to wake up during the night thinking about the debt…
“If anything was going to get us divorced, it was this.”
Earlier this year, Sue and Noel revealed they moved to the country with their youngest children, while the older children stayed in the house they grew up in.
The parents of Britain’s largest family had lived in a Victorian house in Morecambe, Lancashire, with several of their children for 11 years.
They tried to sell it three years ago, but couldn’t get the price they wanted and monetary tensions forced them to stay.
After a slow start to their house search, Noel and Sue finally discovered a house in the countryside that they said was “perfect.”
“We’ve found our dream home,” Sue said during an episode that aired last month, as she toured the five-bedroom, 2,690 sq ft country house, which was listed for £850,000.
The next day, Noel decided to make an offer and was delighted when it was accepted.
But many children quickly realize that even with two in a room, there is not enough space for everyone.
This left James, 20, Daniel, 24, Luke, 23, Jack, 26, and Katie, 21, without a roof over their heads.
Daniel said he is moving to Australia, while Luke, who recently came out as bisexual, added that he was hoping to move somewhere gay-friendly and explored the gay town of Manchester.
Katie decided to look for a “love nest” with her boyfriend, but was shocked by the price of rent in Morecambe.
The three oldest, as well as Millie, a mother of three, already live alone. The remaining 13 will move to the new house, sharing rooms.