Sue & Noel Radford’s rarely-seen son Chris joins parents & siblings as they celebrate mum’s birthday at surprise lunch
SUE and Noel Radford’s rarely seen son Chris has been spotted enjoying a surprise lunch to celebrate his mum’s birthday.
The mother of Britain’s largest family turned 49 today, and was joined by some of her older children for a celebratory pub lunch.
Posting a snap of the meal on @theradfordfamily Instagram page, Sue said: “Lovely surprise birthday lunch out”.
Joining Sue and husband Noel at the dinner table was Chris 34, Chloe 28, Luke 23, Millie 22, Aimee and Amy 17.
The family beamed at the camera, as they enjoyed drinks including wine and beer, in a cosy looking pub.
Chris, 34, is Sue and Noel’s eldest child, and is rarely seen in public.
He does not appear on the family’s Channel 5 show, 22 Kids & Counting, and is rarely seen on the family’s social media.
Chris no longer lives with his family in their former care home in Morecombe, and has his own home nearby.
Sue explained that Chris wanted to take a step back from social media, but regularly pays visits to see his family.
The mum-of-22 fell pregnant with Chris when she was just 13 and Noel was 17, back in 1988, and was determined to keep the baby.
The couple eventually got married, when Sue was 17 and Chris was 21, and have gone on to have 21 more children together.
At the time of Chris’ birth, Sue was under the legal age of consent in the UK, which is 16.
In their new book, The Radfords: Making Life Count, Noel addressed the criticism the couple has received for starting a family so early.
He said: “We were both kids.
“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.
Who's who in the Radford family?
SUE and Noel have 22 children . . .
- Chris – May 7, 1989
- Sophie Rose – December 13, 1993
- Chloe Anne – July 31, 1995
- Jack Richard – April 9, 1997
- Daniel Leon – March 3, 1999
- Luke James – October 1, 2000
- Millie Jo – August 29, 2001
- Katie Louise – November 14, 2002
- James Edward – October 17, 2003
- Ellie May – May 6, 2005
- Aimee Elizabeth – April 21, 2006
- Josh Benjamin – July 3, 2007
- Max Joseph – December 11, 2008
- Tillie May – May 2, 2010
- Oscar Will – October 22, 2011
- Casper Theo – October 3, 2012
- Alfie Thomas – July 6, 2014
- Hallie Alphia Beau – June 3, 2015
- Phoebe Willow – July 24, 2016
- Archie Rowan – September 18, 2017
- Bonnie Ray – November 6, 2018
- Heidie Rose – April 3, 2020
“We were young and we were daft.
“But we wanted to continue as a couple.”
Chris now has three children of his own, Maisie, 4, Jacob, 2 and Nicholas 1, who he shares with wife Nicole Spencer.
To support his young family, Chris works as a glazier.
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