A bakery that nearly collapsed and a TV show now in its fourth season
Beyond their family life, Sue and Noel have built a diversified business portfolio. In 2000, the couple expanded their bakery into new premises — a move that quickly turned precarious. The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease across the UK caused a sharp drop in tourism to the Lake District, devastating their trade.
"We nearly went bankrupt and thought we might lose our home," Sue recalled. The couple faced the very real possibility of losing everything they had built, according to her account. The bakery survived, and Noel continues to run it today alongside the family’s other ventures.
Those other ventures are now substantial. The Radfords star in 22 Kids & Counting, a TV show currently in its fourth season. They also manage a suite of social media channels across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Their public profile, however, has come at a cost: fans have approached their home and photographed the property while children were playing in the garden, prompting the family to begin relocating to a more secluded address.
"We absolutely love being surrounded by children": adoption and fostering on the horizon
Despite having spent 16 and a half years pregnant, Sue says she is not ready to close the door on expanding the family entirely. "We absolutely love being surrounded by children," she explained. "We’re done having our own, but adoption or fostering is something we’d seriously consider once our kids are older."
The prospect of an emptying nest is already making itself felt. Several of the eldest Radford children have begun moving out, a transition Sue describes as emotionally difficult. "When they started leaving home, it was really tough for me as a mum. It felt strange not having everyone together," she admitted.
Fostering and adoption represent a natural next chapter for a couple whose identity has been shaped entirely by large-scale family life. Whether that step materialises will depend, Sue suggests, on where the younger children are in their own lives — but the intention, for now, appears genuine.
