22-year-old father Noel Radford has a ‘mid-life crisis’, sparking row with his wife Sue over dreams of moving abroad and handing over the business

NOEL Radford, the patriarch of the UK’s biggest brood, has thrown his family into crisis after wanting to swap Britain for Australia.

The 53-year-old lamented losing his lifelong dream of being a truck driver in sunny Australia on the latest episode of 22 Kids & Counting.

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The episode, which fans of the brood can watch on Channel 5 this Sunday at 8pm, saw the pie master go on a walk with other parents in the same age group.

But unlike busy couple Sue and Noel, their colleagues have already made their children leave the house, leaving them with all the time in the world.

Unfortunately, this is not the case for Noel who admitted that for them “it’s always been work and family, that’s it”.

The father, whose family lives in a huge ten-bedroom mansion, confessed that he feels as if his “wings are clipped”.

”Seeing my friends having fun is a real wake-up call. If I wait until all my kids have flown the nest, I’ll be too old to do the things I want.

”It seems selfish, doesn’t it? But yeah, maybe I need to find some time for myself.”

After a heart-to-heart with Sue, 49, Noel announced he would be stepping down as baking guru and working just two days a week, leaving his children, Chloe and Luke, in charge.

But it wasn’t just handing over the bakery business to the children that worried Sue, who felt there would be another “conflict”.

Inspired by the stories of freedom his colleagues shared, Noel called his old friend Will, who moved to Australia years ago.

The conversation must have been so exciting that the pie guru even tried to convince the matriarch to get a property down there.

Sue, however, was not at all pleased, completely surprised by her husband’s sudden change in behavior.

Talking to the camera, she said: “Noel has never changed much since I met him. He is definitely a family man.

”He loves to work hard and loves to support us all. He has been a rock for me and the kids. My Mr. Reliable.”

Although Sue knew it’s normal to change your outlook on life as you age, the 49-year-old confessed she was worried about the onset of a “midlife crisis” for her beloved husband.

”’Maybe he wants a fancy sports car or something,” she wondered.

”It makes you wonder… Is he unhappy with his life? Your big family? My?”

Who’s who in the Radford family?

The Radfords are Britain’s largest family, with 22 children.

Here are the children from oldest to youngest:

• Chris – born May 7, 1989
• Sophie – born December 13, 1993
• Chloe – born July 31, 1995
• Jack – born April 9, 1997
• Daniel – born March 3, 1999
• Lucas – born October 1, 2000
• Millie Radford – born August 29, 2001
• Katie – born November 14, 2002
• James – born October 17, 2003
• Ellie – born May 6, 2005
• Aimee – born April 21, 2006
• Josh – born July 3, 2007
• Max – born December 11, 2008
• Tillie – born May 2, 2010
• Oscar – born October 22, 2011
• Casper, – born October 3, 2012
• Hallie – born June 3, 2015
• Phoebe – born July 24, 2016
• Archie – born September 18, 2017
• Bonnie – born November 6, 2018
• Heidie – born April 3, 2020

Despite his efforts, Noel’s plan to relocate the brood to Australia for a while didn’t necessarily win Sue’s heart – however, he did come up with an alternative, Dubai.

After embarking for the tourist and influencer spot, the couple in love enjoyed a series of fun activities, such as sandboarding and water slides.

The 53-year-old revealed he was “sold” on the idea – and even the matriarch was starting to “come around to the idea”.

“The distance from family isn’t really ideal, is it?” he said.

”But let’s not have that lifestyle in Morecambe, Lancashire, will we.”

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