Sue and Noel Radford live in a 10-bedroom house with their 19 children and the 22nd one on the way.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on October 23, 2019. It has since been updated.
When we think of big families, we probably imagine having three or four kids but the number of children that the UK's largest family has will surprise you. People might find it hard to care for a couple of kids, but this family is not daunted by it.
The matriarch of the family, Sue Radford, announced on YouTube on October 20 that she would be having her 22nd child in April 2020. She shared an ultrasound scan along with it, adding that she was almost 15 weeks pregnant. The announcement was made after the couple said in 2018, after the birth of their 21st baby, that they would not be having any more children.
"Basically today we are going to see our new little baby," Supermom Sue, 44, said in the video. "We’re going to go and have a little peek at the new little Radford. The last scan was at eight weeks, and all was good...So now you know guys, we're having a baby," she added. "We're just coming up to 15 weeks pregnant and we'll be able to find out the gender of the baby soon," she added.
The woman and her husband, Noel, 48, already have 21 children. They have 11 girls and 10 boys so far. While she is unaware of the gender, she hinted that she would want a boy to even out the number. "I wonder if it will be 11 of each - I am feeling a bit boy," she adds in the video, according to Yahoo Style.
The couple's first child, son Chris, was born in May 1989, when she was 14 years old, while their last child, number 21, Bonnie Raye, was born in November 2018, according to the Independent. Alfie, the couple's 17th child, was unfortunately stillborn on July 6th, 2014, when she was 23 weeks pregnant.
The big family lives in a 10 bedroom house where the parents and 19 of their children live. They rely on Noel's salary as a baker while also receiving just £170 (about $220) a week in child benefits, according to Metro UK. They bought the house in Lancashire in 2004 and it became their beloved family home. However, their eldest children, Chris, 30 and Sophie, 25, have flown the nest already. Continuing the tradition of having a big family, Sophie has three children of her own.
While there is a lot of love in the family, so is there a lot of expenses. Feeding so many children is no easy task. It takes almost £350 ($453) a week to feed all their children and it can take up to three hours a day to maintain the house. The family told Daily Mail how much money it takes when the family goes out dining and it's a whopping number. They have to pay a minimum of £150 ($194) and if they are going on a holiday, that's at least seven suitcases. The washing duty is also non-stop as they wash close to 18kg of clothes every single day.
The Radford home currently houses Chloe, 23, Jack, 22, Daniel, 20, Luke, 18, Millie, 17, Katie, 16, James, 15, Ellie, 14, Aimee, 13, Josh, 12, Max, 11, Tillie, nine, Oscar, seven, Casper, six, Hallie, three, Phoebe, two, Archie, 18 months, and Bonnie Raye, who is not yet one year old.
The famous British family have also been on the television show 16 Kids And Counting in 2013. More recently, they share updates on Instagram and YouTube.
References:
https://uk.style.yahoo.com/britains-biggest-family-baby-22-084724680.html?
https://metro.co.uk/2019/10/21/britains-biggest-family-reveal-expecting-baby-number-22-10953774/
