Dad-of-22 Noel Radford has a ‘midlife crisis’ sparking row with wife Sue over dreams to move abroad & hand over business
NOEL Radford, the patriarch of the UK’s biggest brood, has sent the family into a crisis after wanting to ditch Britain for Australia.
The 53-year-old lamented on missing out on his lifelong dream of being a lorry driver in sunny Australia in the latest episode of 22 Kids & Counting.
The episode, which fans of the brood will be able to watch on Channel 5 this Sunday at 8pm, saw the pie master go on a hike with fellow parents of a similar age group.
But unlike the busy couple, Sue and Noel, the peers already had their kids move out of the house, leaving them with all the time in the world.
This, unfortunately, is not the case for Noel who admitted that for them, ”it’s always been work and family, that’s it”.
The dad, whose family are based in a massive ten-bedroom mansion, confessed that he feels as if ”wings are clipped”.
”Seeing my mates enjoy themselves is a real wake-up call. If I wait until all of my kids have flown the nest, I’ll just be too old to do the things that I want to do.
”It sounds selfish, doesn’t it? But yeah, maybe I do need to find some time for myself.”
After having a heart-to-heart with Sue, 49, Noel announced he would be stepping down as the baking guru and would only work two days a week, leaving his children, Chloe and Luke, in charge.
But it’s not just handing the bakery business over to the kids that worried Sue, who felt like there would be another ”conflict”.
Inspired by the tales of freedom his peers had shared, Noel then called his old pal Will who relocated to Australia years ago.
The chat must’ve been so thrilling that the pie guru even tried to pitch getting a property Down Under to the matriarch.
Sue, however, was anything but pleased, totally startled by her hubby’s sudden change in behaviour.
Chatting to the camera, she said: ”Noel’s never really changed much since I first met him. He’s definitely very much a family man.
”Loves to work hard and loves to support all of us. He’s been a rock to me and the kids. My Mr Dependable.”
Although Sue knew it’s normal to change your perspective of life as you grow older, the 49-year-old confessed she was concerned it’s the start of a ”midlife crisis” for her dear hubby.
”’Maybe he’ll want a flash sports car or something,” she wondered.
”It does make you think… Is he unhappy with his life? His big family? Me?”
Who's who in the Radford family?
The Radfords are Britain's biggest family with 22 children.
Here are the kids from eldest to youngest include:
- Chris – born May 7, 1989
- Sophie – born December 13, 1993
- Chloe – born July 31, 1995
- Jack – born April 9, 1997
- Daniel – born March 3, 1999
- Luke – born October 1, 2000
- Millie Radford – born August 29, 2001
- Katie – born November 14, 2002
- James – born October 17, 2003
- Ellie – born May 6, 2005
- Aimee – born April 21, 2006
- Josh – born July 3, 2007
- Max – born December 11, 2008
- Tillie – born May 2, 2010
- Oscar – born October 22, 2011
- Casper, – born October 3, 2012
- Hallie – born June 3, 2015
- Phoebe – born July 24, 2016
- Archie – born September 18, 2017
- Bonnie – born November 6, 2018
- Heidie – born April 3, 2020
Despite his efforts, Noel’s plan to relocate the brood over to Australia for a bit didn’t necessarily win Sue’s heart – however, he then came up with an alternative, Dubai.
After jetting off to the tourist and influencer hotspot, the loved-up couple enjoyed an array of fun activities, such as sandboarding and going on waterslides.
The 53-year-old revealed he was ”sold” on the idea – and even the matriarch was beginning to ”warm to the idea”.
”Distance from the family isn’t really ideal is it,” he said.
”But we’re not going to have this lifestyle in Morecambe, Lancashire, are we.”
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