The father of the UK’s largest family has spoken out about the age at which he and his wife had their first child.
Noel and Sue Radford are renowned for having the largest family in Britain, with a total of 22 children. They have been married for more than three decades.
They have featured in their own television series, 22 Kids & Counting, in the UK, and a book detailing their busy family life was published earlier this year.
In their book, The Radfords: Making Life Count, Noel discussed the public reaction to the age at which they became parents for the first time.
Sue became pregnant when she was 13, and Noel was 17 when he found out he was going to be a father.
“People have inevitably talked about the situation and it has been written about in the newspapers and discussed on social media,” Noel wrote in the book.
“There has been a lot of focus on it and, in a way, it was probably worse for us than when it actually happened. So many people have given their opinions.
“But we were both kids it was not as if I was 10 or 15 years older than Sue.”
Noel continued: “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.”
Recently, Noel and Sue encountered some legal issues after taking their children and some grandchildren to Disney World in Florida.
They were found guilty of not ensuring regular school attendance for four of their children between March 24 and May 1, 2025.
The fines amounted to $88 per child, with an additional $160 in court costs, totaling $1,024 for the Florida trip.
A representative from Lancashire County Council stated: “Ensuring young people receive a good education and have a good start in life is one of our key priorities. Evidence shows that attainment is linked to attendance, so supporting our schools with this issue is important.
“The decision to authorize absence or not rests with the headteacher of the particular school and Penalty Notices are an enforcement option that are available to local authorities, if requested by schools. It is the court that determines whether a fine should be issued.
“The laws on attendance are very clear and there are some legitimate reasons why pupils can’t always go to school.
“We always encourage schools to work closely with parents to reduce unauthorized absences and our aim is to ensure that children and young people attend school and receive a good education.”