A father of 22 children has defended getting his wife pregnant when she was 13 and he was 17, stating that they were "both kids".
Noel Radford, the dad of Britain's largest family, has spoken out in defense of his past actions, addressing criticisms surrounding his relationship with his now-wife, Sue.
In their newly released book, The Radfords: Making Life Count, Noel, now 53, reflects on the controversy of their early relationship, emphasizing that they were both adolescents at the time, per the Daily Mail.
"Back then, we were both just kids," Noel stated, referring to when he was 17 and Sue was 13. "I didn't get a knock on the door saying I was in trouble."
"Some of the comments from people were brutal - that I should have been arrested and things like that," Noel said. "Even though I was just 17 - still a kid, including in the eyes of the law. But it doesn't bother me."
Despite facing public scrutiny, Noel remains unfazed by the criticism, stating: "People will say what they like. I don't care what they say."
However, Sue expressed concern about the impact of negative comments on their children, remarking that it affects them deeply.
"When people talk today about me and Noel and what happened all those years ago, it now affects Chris (their eldest child) as well - it's not just about us anymore," Noel said. "We were being dragged back to it, but for Chris it was the first time he had to face people talking about it."
The couple's relationship, which began when Noel was 11 and Sue was seven, took a significant turn when Sue gave birth at the age of 14. Despite societal challenges and judgments, they were determined to raise their child themselves.
Reflecting on their journey, Sue shared: "For both of us, it was just 'Oh s***'."
Noel dropped out of catering college when he found out about the pregnancy and got a job in a supermarket, while Sue was homeschooled until the baby had been born.
The pair were married a year later in 1992.
Now, more than three decades later the couple are parents to Chris, 34, Sophie, 30, Chloe, 28, Jack, 26, Daniel, 24, Luke, 23, Millie, 22, Katie, 21, James, 20, Ellie, 18, Aimee, 17, Josh, 16, Max, 15, Tillie, 13, Oscar, 12, Casper, 11, Hallie, eight, Phoebe, seven, Archie, six, Bonnie, five, and Heidie, three. They also had a son Alfie, who was stillborn in 2014.
The couple's resilience was tested further when they faced economic hardships, including setbacks in their pie shop business due to the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.
In a recent development, Sue and Noel revealed their relocation to the countryside with their younger children. While they found their dream home, accommodating all their children proved to be a challenge, with some older children opting to find their own homes.
The family was shot into stardom with the 2018 show 15 Kids and Counting, which is now called 22 kids and counting.
