Many know Noel Radford as the smiling, hard-working and loving patrician of Britain’s largest family and star of Channel 5’s 22 Kids and Counting.
He is married to Sue Radford and the The couple, who live in Morecambe, Lancashire, met when she was seven and he was 11.
She then became pregnant with her first child, Christopher, when she was just 14 and Noel was 18.
The couple are adopted and while Sue didn’t want to know anything about her biological parents, Noel was intrigued to find out more about them after his daughter fell ill.
He He was born on Christmas Eve in 1970 and was adopted when he was just ten days old in January 1971 by his mother and father.
Noel is married to Sue Radford and the couple, who live in Morecambe, Lancashire, met when Sue was seven.
The clan, considered Britain’s largest family, appears on Channel 5’s 22 and Counting.
During the show’s third season, Noel spoke about some of the ways being adopted had affected his adult life, including a lack of knowledge about his biological family’s health history.
The problem arose when her teenage daughter Ellie was taken to the doctor for tests because she was not feeling well.
His liver function was elevated and the doctor suspected he might have Gilbert’s syndrome, a hereditary disease that is transmitted genetically.
Sue said: “Basically Gilbert’s syndrome is hereditary, it’s genetic and it can be passed on, so he said either I’m a carrier or Noel is a carrier. That could mean some of the other children could have it.”
Ellie’s result prompted Noel and Sue to get tested for the condition, as neither of them know their family history.
After taking the tests, Noel admitted that he wanted to know more about his biological side of the family.
She told the show: ‘After taking that test, I thought: we’re both adopted and we know absolutely nothing about our medical history.
‘I would like to know more about my family, where I come from, anything about myself.’
Sue said she didn’t want to know more about her biological parents, while Noel said he was interested in digging deeper into his family background.
Noel said: ‘I don’t really know much about my biological family, so something like this will shed a little light on what the story might bring, health-wise.
Sue became pregnant with her first child, Christopher, when she was just 14 and Noel was 18. Above: Pictured on their wedding day at Kendal Parish Church in 1992.
Noel was born on Christmas Eve 1970 and was adopted when he was just ten days old in January 1971 by his mother and father.
“Maybe it tells me a little bit more about who I am, where I come from, possibly about my biological parents. Now that I’m getting older, I think about it a little bit more often.”
The father said that when he was younger he didn’t really think about his biological parents and saw his adoptive parents as “mom and dad.”
Noel’s DNA test showed he was born at Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport and that his date of birth was the same as his birthday.
She held back tears and said, “I don’t even know why I don’t like talking about this. I just don’t like it. I have so much respect for my mom and dad.”
‘To be honest, I’m glad I was adopted, otherwise I wouldn’t have the life I have now.’
Noel’s adoptive father said he supported the search and told him his biological mother was a “young mom.”
‘My biological mother was 16, so she must be between 68 and 69 years old now. There’s a good chance she’s still alive and kicking. I hope so. I don’t know what her situation was.
‘Sometimes I wonder, especially when it’s my birthday, I can’t imagine that she doesn’t think about me at some point during the day.’
At the end of the series, Noel reveals that the document has the name of his real biological mother on it, perhaps hinting that he will continue his search.
Sue and Noel Radford are pictured with their children at Christmas on This Morning in 2018
In the couple’s joint memoir, The Radfords: Making Life Count, which was published in February, Noel gave an update on his biological mother.
He wrote: ‘My birth mother still doesn’t know anything and I’ve been trying to find out more information about her, unless she sees us on TV and maybe I’ve put the pieces together.’
“I don’t think they would have told him any details about who had adopted me, where I was from and what my last name was going to be. I think things are completely different now compared to when I was adopted.
“I may be wrong, but I think in the 1970s, after you were dumped, that was it. There might have been a six-week cooling-off period, during which you could change your mind and take the child back, but after that there was no turning back.”
22 Kids and Counting continues with its fifth season airing July 21.
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