EVERY household has its fiery moments – but when you have 22 Kids & Counting, the potential for scandals is multiplied even more.
Sue and , the matriarch and patriarch of , may draw in thousands of fans with their wholesome antics and lavish trips.
But the Radfords are also not immune to criticism, following a range of drama over the years – and more recently.
Earlier this month, in April, mum-of-22 after she was seen enjoying – whilst leaving heavily , 29, back in Morecambe.
The blonde beauty who istwo, with security guard boyfriend Jacob Wallace, .
Critics came after Sue who hadwhile enjoying a holiday in Dubai.
, 22 – the eighth eldest ofBritain’s largest family– gaveto a healthy baby boy, Ronnie Hudson Carter, back in October 2024.
Despite the mum-to-be wantingSue, then 49, to be present for the birth, a booking blunder fromNoelmeant parents of the brood ended up missing the arrival of Ronnie – much to Sue’s disappointment.
After sharing a series of holiday snaps on the family’s Instagram account, .
One critic said: ”;Can’t believe you’ve gone away so close to Chloe’s due date after the drama when Noel booked you to go away close to Millie’s due date.”;
But this is not the first time the bumper brood has come under fire, leaving fans and TV viewers furious.
From a ”;distasteful”; act tricking fans into thinking Sue’s battling ”;”; to ”;”;, here we take a look at some of the biggest scandals the Radfords have weathered throughout the years.
False earth-shattering diagnosis
Back in January 2025, which ”;falsely lead viewers to believe she has dementia at 49”;.
Mum-of-22 revealedonafter she was seen behaving unusually quiet and not like herself.
The first part of the episode showed the now 50-year-old and her husband,Noel, 54, becoming more distant as the typically outgoing mum-of-22 became more withdrawn.
Thepiewhizz, naturally, was seen growing increasingly worried about his wife, whom he gotto in 1992.
After Noel accidentally stumbled across a leaflet forin the family vehicle he feared the worst – but the latter part of the episode then revealed it wasn’t the matriarch whosehad been turned upside down.
viewers slammed the episode as ”;distasteful”;that ”;set up”; fans of the mega brood to believeSue had a life-changing illness.
A second said: ”;Distasteful ....wanting to make people think Sue had dementia. Scripts need looking into.”;
”;Wow the show is really setting this up as though Sue has dementia. She doesn’t. A family friend has early onset dementia,”; a third lamented.
Another wrote: ”;If it’s not all scripted then I think she’s out of order not just telling him she’s fine and it’s someone else. Poor guy must’ve been so worried! Have gone off her!”;
Teen pregnancy
In their joint tell-all book The Radfords: Making Life Count, published in February 2024, Noel addressed the controversy over his and Sue’s respective ages at the time of their firstpregnancy.
As revealed on their TV show, to their eldest child Chris, now in his late 30s. Nearly five years her senior, Noel was 17.
Sue, who turned 50 this year, was three years below the age of the consent at the time, but Noel has revealed there was “no knock on the door”; from authorities regarding her pregnancy.
Back in 1989, and as the law is today, it is an offence for anyone to have any sexual activity with a person under the age of 16.
However, the Crown Prosecution Service doesn’t always pursue prosecutions againstteenagers in these circumstances.
It is still illegal for a person aged 18 or over to have any with a person younger than 16.
Hitting back at the criticism the loved-up pair faced, Noel defended their decision to start a family at such a young age.
“We were both kids,”; he penned. “It was not as if I was 10 or 15 years older than Sue.
“For a lot of people, though, things are just black and white and you are tarnished with the same brush as other people in totally different situations.
“We were young and we were daft.
“But we wanted to continue as a couple,”; he wrote in the book that .
‘Using kids’ to cash in
As Britain’s biggest brood, it may come as no surprise that Sue and Noel have some hefty and expenses to cover – especially if they want to enjoy lavish trips () as often as they do.
The bumper brood famously don’t rely on s, with a big chunk of their earnings coming from , as well as brand partnerships on social media.
They do receive child benefits, but no other government help.
However, the couple came under fire for to fund in 2024.
The pair regularly share vlogs documenting theirlife at home, and took to YouTube to post a video of their trip to .
After the clips from their shopping haul,NoelandSuesat down with five-year-olddaughter on the sofa to demonstrate the tutoringappthey’ve been using for their kids.
At the bottom of the video, a line also flashed up saying: “Use the link in our description box for 30-day money back guarantee and afterwards 60% off.”;
Sadly for the two, the decision to include the tot in the video plug of the app didn’t go down too well with everyone.
“Selling products using the kids,”; one person raged in a remark that’s since been deleted from the comments section.
‘Favourite’ grandchildren feud
In April 2023, Sue and Noel’s daughter Millie, now 23, sparked rumours of a fiery feud after she appeared to slam her parents on social media.
Mum-of-three ,whoand is Sue and Noel’s third eldest daughter, accused her mum and dad of making money from their grandchildren – while also alleging that .
The 23-year-old, who was pregnant with her youngest child, Elodie, at the time, accused her parents of excluding Ophelia and Chester from a family trip to the sunny .
Sharing a screenshot from a clipof her parents surprising some of their grandchildren, Millie reposted it with caption that read: “Cute? But you’ve made money from all your grandchildren, but choose your favourites.”;
It wasn’t long until she deleted the furious post, while Sue later pleaded with fans not to speculate over the alleged fallout.
In a message shared under theirvideo, the mum-of-22 wrote: “Thank you so much for all your comments. The grandkids’ reaction was just so lovely and had us all crying [heart emoji].
”;Please could we just not comment on Millie? We are on holiday and don’t want all the drama,”; she begged.
On the brink of a bankruptcy
Sue and Noel may have been together for years, appearing to have a strong marriage on the surface – but that doesn’t mean the two haven’t had their fair share of trials and tribulations.
Back in 2000, there was one particularly frustrating period that , after Foot and Mouth Disease hit their bakery business hard.
The rapid decline in tourist footfall nearly .
In their 2024 interview with OK!, Sue recalled: “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.”;
However, the pair eventually managed to work through the dark days, and onto more prosperous times.
Sue added: “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.”;
Professional intervention following a long dispute
The can be an exceptionally stressful period for any family – and the Radford bumper brood are no exception, having to whip up a mammoth .
But Christmas 2023 proved to be a particularly challenging time, with two of the siblings – Chloe, 29, and , 24 – being at war with each other.
As revealed in a festive episode, the two hadn’t been on speaking terms for over a year, with a squabble over a shelf of frozen pastry pies tipping things over the edge.
Luke explained to viewers that, although the longstanding feud had been about a “mix of things”;, working together had caused matters to escalate even further.
Luke shared: “Anyways, they [the pies] just took up so much space, and Chloe had set it up that way, and it was early in the morning.
”;I’m not a ... and it just kicked off. It’s the most pathetic thing, but it’s the straw that broke the camel’s back.”;
Offering her perspective on the situation, Chloe reflected: “Sibling arguments are different. You definitely hold a grudge more.”;
Desperate to see the once-close duo put their differences aside, the parents took a drastic step and invited a trained intervention counsellor into , in hopes that the row would be put to bed.
Mum Sue confessed: “To see them not speaking has been really, really hard. Especially as when we look back over the years and see how close Luke and Chloe were.
”;But they are both very strong-willed and stubborn.”;
Noel chimed in: “The longer it goes on, the harder it gets. There has been no backing down first. It’s not nice to see them not talking to each other.”;
