Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@theradfordfamily
Topics: Sue Radford, Radford Family, Parenting, Celebrity
Rhiannon Ingle
Topics: Sue Radford, Radford Family, Parenting, Celebrity
Sue Radford, who is just one small fraction of 'Britain's largest family', once revealed the sad reason she nearly divorced her husband, Noel.
The family, complete with over two dozen kids, are best known for their appearance on the hit Channel 5 programme, 22 Kids and Counting.
Noel was 17 when he learned he was going to become a father while Sue was four years his junior, aged just 13.
Advert
They went on to tie the knot back in 1992 and have been happily married ever since - however, it wasn't always sunshine and rainbows in the Radford household.
Now, between them, Sue and Noel are parents to; Chris, 35, Sophie, 30, Chloe, 28, Jack, 27, Daniel, 25, Luke, 23, Millie, 22, Katie, 21, James, 20, Ellie, 19, Aimee, 18, Josh, 17, Max, 15, Tillie, 14, Oscar, 12, Casper, 11, Hallie, nine, Phoebe, eight, Archie, six and Bonnie, five.
Their youngest, Heidie, is just four years old.
They also had a child in 2014 named Alfie but he was sadly stillborn.
Less than a decade after their wedding in 2000, the pair suffered a financial loss following the spread of Foot and Mouth Disease, which hit their pie shop business pretty bad.
The monetary strain on the family led to tension within the marriage, with Sue revealing: "We almost went bankrupt and thought we would lose the house.
"I just kept thinking, 'There’s no way out of this, and I really don’t see how our marriage can survive'.
"The whole thing took its toll on me and Noel. Looking back now, I can see that we would never, ever have called it a day but when you’re in that highly-pressurised moment it’s hard to see a way out."
The reality TV star continued: "There were days when I’d think: 'That’s it, I’m leaving the business and Noel, I just can’t do it anymore'.
"But our marriage has always been strong - and having the kids kept us right. We stuck together and got through it. It was sink or swim and we chose to swim."
She added: "We paid off the debts and vowed we would never, ever be in that situation again."
Well, it seems like the pair kept true to their word as they went on to have a whole bunch more children and are now proud grandparents to 14 grandchildren.
They've been married now a little over three decades and, even while Sue has spent nearly 17 years of her life pregnant, she still isn't ruling out expanding her family of 22.