Truth behind devastating fallouts that have rocked UK’s biggest family, from ‘exploitation’ row to ‘favourite’ grandkid

THEY’VE built a TV empire by showing Britain that no matter how chaotic life gets with 22 children, family always comes first. But even the Radfords aren’t immune to rows, rifts and heartbreaking fallouts. The Radfords have shown that life in Britain’s biggest family isn’t always plain sailing Credit: instagram/theradfordfamily The Radfords’ lives have played out in front of millions on 22 Kids and Counting Credit: theradfordfamily/Instagram Over the years, viewers of 22 Kids and Counting have witnessed public clashes, sibling rivalries, emotional break-ups and personal health battles testing Britain’s biggest family – with some of their toughest moments unfolding in front of millions. From Millie’s explosive ‘favourites’ row with Sue and Noel to a heartbreaking marriage breakdown, we look back at the feuds and fallouts that rocked the Radford clan, and reveal where they all stand today. Millie’s ‘exploitation’ claim In April 2023, daughter Millie stunned fans by publicly accusing Sue and Noel of making money from her children Credit: Instagram Millie got engaged in a lavish Disney proposal Credit: Channel 5 If the Radfords have ever come close to a Beckham-style family feud, this was probably it. In April 2023, daughter Millie stunned fans by publicly accusing Sue and Noel of making money from her children while treating her kids differently to the rest of the grandchildren. The row erupted after Sue shared photos from a Disney World holiday with daughter Sophie’s children. Pregnant with her third child at the time, Millie hit back online, writing: “Cute? But you’ve made money from all your grandchildren but choose your favourites.” She also complained her own children had appeared throughout 22 Kids and Counting but were now being overlooked. Fans were left wondering whether Britain’s famously close-knit family had finally fractured. Thankfully, it didn’t stay that way for long. The family later reunited on another Disney holiday, where Harley proposed to Millie outside Cinderella Castle, before Sue and Noel helped organise the couple’s wedding. Millie has since publicly thanked her parents, with the family now preparing to welcome another grandchild together. Sue and Noel’s marriage woes Noel and Sue have spoken openly about disagreements behind closed doors Long before television fame and a thriving pie empire, Sue and Noel faced the biggest challenge of their own relationship. While raising an ever-growing family, crippling debts and the foot-and-mouth crisis pushed both their finances and their marriage to breaking point. Looking back, Sue has admitted that if there was ever a time their relationship came close to ending, it was during those difficult years, when simply keeping the business afloat became an all-consuming battle. The couple have also spoken openly about disagreements behind closed doors. One of their biggest differences came when Noel decided he wanted to search for his biological mother, while Sue, who was also adopted, said she had never felt the same desire to trace her own birth family. Thankfully, the difficult years are now behind them, with the couple continuing to run both the Radford household and their pie empire together more than three decades after becoming parents. The 18-month sibling rivalry The Radford kids ended up in a bitter despite over the pie business Credit: Channel 5 Noel’s award-winning pies help fund the family’s millionaire lifestyle Credit: youtube/radfordfamily When Noel began talking about stepping back from the day-to-day running of the family’s pie business, a different kind of tension emerged as siblings Chloe and Luke found themselves competing over its future. Having spent years working alongside her dad in the bakery, Chloe appeared the natural choice to carry on the family’s pie-making legacy. But Luke also wanted a leading role, putting himself forward to oversee the business side of the operation. What started as a seemingly petty disagreement over a shelf of frozen pies soon spiralled into something much bigger. The row became so bitter that Chloe and Luke stopped speaking altogether, with the siblings giving each other the silent treatment for an astonishing 18 months. The fallout created tension across Britain’s biggest family, with Sue admitting it had become increasingly difficult to organise family gatherings while the pair refused to be in the same room. By the family’s 2023 Christmas special, Sue had finally reached breaking point. She threatened to cancel the Radfords’ huge festive celebrations unless the pair resolved their differences and even enlisted the help of a professional intervention counsellor to mediate between them. Thankfully, it worked. Chloe and Luke finally talked through their frustrations and ended the long-running feud, with today’s pie wars appearing firmly behind them as both siblings carve out their own place in the family business while the Radford empire continues to grow. Sophie Radford pictured with Joe Broadley and daughter Daisy. Although their marriage came to an end, the pair have continued to co-parent their three children Credit: Brad Wakefield – The Sun No Radford heartbreak hit harder than eldest daughter Sophie’s marriage breakdown. While Sue and Noel have previously admitted financial pressures almost pushed their own marriage to breaking point during the early days of the family pie business, it was Sophie’s separation from husband Joe Broadley that became the family’s most emotional storyline in the latest series of 22 Kids and Counting. After almost a decade of marriage, Sophie revealed the couple had decided to separate, admitting she had spent around a year hiding the truth because she didn’t want to burden her parents with her own problems while they were already juggling the demands of Britain’s biggest family. As the reality of the split caught up with her during filming, Sophie became visibly overwhelmed and asked producers to stop recording. She said: “My marriage isn’t working…” Sue later admitted the family had suspected something wasn’t right for some time. She said: “Sadly, a lot of marriages do break down.” Although their marriage came to an end, Sophie and Joe have continued to co-parent their three children, with Sue and Noel rallying around their eldest daughter throughout the separation. Sue believes Sophie is now “definitely a lot happier”, and the family have remained firmly by her side as she starts the next chapter of her life. Millie and Harley’s rollercoaster relationship Away from the family drama, Millie and husband Harley Passmore weathered a string of emotional setbacks, with some of their toughest moments unfolding in front of viewers. One of the couple’s biggest disagreements centred on Millie’s eldest daughter, Ophelia, from a previous relationship. Harley wanted to legally adopt her, but Millie admitted she wasn’t ready to take that step, leading to an emotional conversation that saw Harley leave the house to clear his head. Before they had fully moved past that hurdle, Harley was rushed to hospital after suddenly suffering numbness, sparking fears he could be having a stroke. As he recovered, the couple were dealt another blow when Harvey revealed to Ophelia that he was not her biological father, which Millie was extremely worried about, leading to huge disagreements. Then came another crisis when puppy Bella became critically ill and required emergency surgery costing around £2,000, prompting Sue and Noel to step in and help cover the bill. Despite the setbacks, the couple have emerged from one of the toughest periods of their relationship stronger than ever. Harley recovered from his health scare, the adoption issue was resolved and the pair went on to celebrate their wedding surrounded by the wider Radford family. Today, they’re preparing to expand their family together. From explosive public rows to sibling rivalries and heartbreaking relationship struggles, the Radfords have shown that life in Britain’s biggest family isn’t always plain sailing. And with cameras still following their every move, their next chapter is unlikely to be any less dramatic. The family have been contacted for comment.