I finally met birth mum after being adopted at 10 days old…her reaction to our big brood was priceless says Noel Radford

The Sun

15-07-2025

HE is dad to the UK's biggest brood, but Noel Radford has never known his own birth parents - until now.
After being given up for adoption at just ten days old, the 22 Kids and Counting star reveals today he's finally met his birth mum for the first time.
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And just as he has charted the chaos and reality of bringing up the 22 kids he shares with wife Sue on TV for more than a decade, the emotional reunion will be aired during the new series of the couple's hit Channel 5 reality series on Sunday.
Noel, now 54, was born on Christmas Eve in 1970 in Stockport.
But less than two weeks later he was handed over to his new parents who, he stresses, he will always regard as his mum and dad.
Whilst they gave him an idyllic upbringing and supported both him and Sue through the many births of their massive brood, Noel admits he has found himself in later years growing more and more curious as to what his birth mum is like.
His mum Valerie was able to share with Noel several details about her identity before she sadly passed away five years ago, including her name and the fact he'd been born at Stockport Hospital.
Determined to get more answers, Noel decided a year ago to secretly enlist the help of adoption expert Glesni Evans to help track her down and seek answers once and for all.
Like any adoption search, Noel says it proved tricky - but to his delight he was told late last year that his real mum, 74, had been found and wanted to finally meet him.
Not only that - he also has a half-brother he had no idea about.
They finally reunited – with the TV cameras in pursuit – in January at a secret location near Noel's birthplace.
Recalling the moment he set eyes on her for the first time, Noel tells The Sun: 'It was emotional meeting her and I was nervous beforehand.
"You don't know what she is going to look or sound like, and how she will react.
"A lot was going through my head, but she was so lovely and so glad to see me. We were with each other for a couple of hours.'
He goes on to stress: 'You call your adoptive parents your mum and dad and that's because they are. You don't know any different. This is someone who gave birth to me – that's it.'
'No regrets'
During the powerful scenes airing on Sunday's return of 22 Kids and Counting, Noel is seen asking his birth mum – who unlike her famous son, asked for her identity to be disguised– why she chose to give him away, and if she subsequently wanted to look for him.
She explains that at the age of 17, she was told she had no option other than to give him away.
She didn't look for him as she didn't want to disrupt his life, but she assures Noel she never gave up hope that one day he would come and find her.
'As I have got older, I have been curious to find her,' Noel explains. 'I'm only ever going to have one chance and I've got no regrets that I have.'
He says he has and never will judge her. But was she everything he imagined?
Nodding, he jokes: 'The only thing I was bothered about was if she was 6ft tall, as I would have been disappointed if those genes hadn't been passed down!
'The hardest thing in all of this was actually the waiting to see if she would reply once they made contact, and those 'what if's', wondering if she would want to meet me.
"But thankfully she did. She had been waiting to see if I got in touch.'
He goes on to stress there has never been any point where he has wanted to find his birth father, adding: 'I've no interest as from what I understand he didn't see the pregnancy through. He upped sticks and off he went.'
His wife-of-32-years Sue, who turned 50 in March, is also at the face-to-face meeting.
Sitting alongside Noel during our chat, she says she's impressed by her husband for sharing his feelings on camera.
'I am proud of him because doing it all in front of the cameras has been an emotional rollercoaster for Noel,' she explains.
'Men don't share their feelings. She was really lovely and it was nice to get to meet her, too. I saw a lot of resemblances of Noel's birth mum and Noel.'
Health scare
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Noel has previously talked about being adopted and the issue came to a head in 2023, when the couple's teenage daughter Ellie was found to have the hereditary liver disorder Gilbert's Syndrome.
The couple were tested and Noel was found to be a carrier.
He said at the time: 'It's got me thinking, we're both adopted and we know absolutely nothing about our medical history at all.
'I'd quite like to find out more about my family, where I'm from, just anything about myself.
'It might tell me a bit more about who I am, where I'm from, possibly my birth parents. Now as I'm getting older, I do think about it a bit more often.'
Fighting back tears he added: 'I don't even know why I don't like talking about it. I just don't like it. I have a lot of respect for my mum and dad.
'To be honest, I'm glad I was adopted, otherwise I wouldn't have the life I have now.'
Unlike Noel, Sue does not, under any circumstances, want to meet her real parents.
She stresses: 'For me, my mum and dad are my mum and dad. As far as I am concerned I didn't and still don't want to find my birth mum.
"Noel is very different and it's always bothered him.
'It's been hard. We are both adopted and with our different views, we did clash at times.'
Did these clashes turn into huge arguments? Both stress definitely not.
'There were no headlocks or anything,' Noel chuckles. 'It was more of an emotional clash, and I totally get why Sue doesn't want to meet her parents and that's fine.'
One-word reaction
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Both Sue and Noel smile as they reveal his birth mum was understandably surprised when they told her how many children they have.
Their massive brood comprises of Chris, 36, Sophie, 31, Chloe, 29, Jack, 28, Daniel, 26, Luke, 24, Millie, 23, Katie, 22, James, 21, Ellie, 20, Aimee, 19, Josh, 18, Max, 16, Tillie, 15, Oscar, 13, Casper, 12, Hallie, 10, Phoebe, eight, Archie, seven, Bonnie, six, and Heidie, five.
Sadly, the couple's 17th child, Alfie, was stillborn on July 6 2014.
'She was quite shocked!' says Noel. "She said, 'Wow. That's a lot.' But how does anyone take that on board?'
She also has, Sue confides, never watched them on TV.
'She did say she had never watched any of the programmes,' she adds. 'She had heard of us but not watched the shows.'
So what does the future hold for Noel and his birth mum?
Noel says they will keep in touch via letter but insists he doesn't want a close relationship with her - nor has he met her since their reunion in January.
He reveals: 'It was good to meet her and let her know I was alright and that I'd had a good upbringing, but that was it really. I've written to her since but I don't want to forge a relationship.
"We will keep in touch by writing. I am the same as Sue. I have my mum and dad and it was just a case of curiosity more than anything.'
He says his dad, David, has been very laid back about their meeting.
'Dad is fine with it all,' he says, beaming. 'And mum would have been pleased.
"Before she died, she always did say that if I ever wanted to find her, to do so. She would never have discouraged me and I know that had she been alive today, she would have helped me.'
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Both Sue and Noel hope by sharing the experience on TV, it will help thousands of other adopted children who are contemplating searching for their birth parents.
'I hope it does open up people's eyes that it can be tough,' the proud dad explains.
'You watch Long Lost Families and you don't see how emotional it can be, or in some cases, if the person you meet isn't what you expected. I am proud of myself for doing this.'
As for what fans of the down-to-earth Radford family can expect in their new series, the couple promise more chaos, but fun.
'We are really proud of the TV series,' says Noel.
'Everyone is always asking us when it will be coming back and we enjoy doing it. I actually think this new series with me meeting my birth mum and other stories is the best yet.'
22 Kids & Counting: Noel's Long Lost Mum airs Sunday 20 July at 8pm. Watch or stream on 5
Meet the Radfords' 22 kids
Christopher, 36
The oldest Radford child, Chris works as a glazier and is married to Nicole Spencer. They have three children: Maise-Paige, eight, Jacob, five, and Oakland, three.
Sophie Rose, 31
Sophie has her own cleaning company, Time for Sparkle, and shares three children with husband Joseph Bradley: Daisy, 12, Ayprill, 10, and Leo, nine.
Chloe Anne, 29
Chloe's a make-up artist and is mum to daughter Milla, two, and son Bodhi, three months, with her boyfriend, Jake Wallace.
Jack Richard, 28
Publicity-shy Jack prefers to stay out of the limelight, and hasn't publicly shared his relationship status or career.
Daniel Leon, 26
After training to be in the RAF, Daniel had a near-fatal car crash in Bristol, which played out on his parents' TV show. He overcame his subsequent fear of driving in order to emigrate to Australia.
Luke James, 24
Luke came out to his parents as bisexual in 2021 - warming viewers' hearts after Sue and Noel attended a Pride festival with him that summer. He works for the family's pie business.
Millie Jo, 23
Millie is married to Harley Passmore and is mum to three children: Ophelia, four (from a previous relationship), and Chester, three, and Elodie, one (whom she shares with Harley).
Katie Louise, 22
Katie works at a nursery and shares one nine-month-old son, Ronnie, with her boyfriend Connor Carter.
James Edward, 21
James is busy working in the family's pie shop and hopes to run it someday.
Ellie May, 20
Ellie's training to be a hairdresser, and has also worked part-time in a hotel housekeeping job.
Aimee Elizabeth, 19
Aimee's also qualified to be a hairstylist and has famously practised her skills on family members in video clips.
Josh Benjamin, 18
According to his parents, Josh was a 'nightmare' at school and he didn't commit to his studies - but that all changed when he found his passion as a sports coach.
Max Joseph, 16
Max was diagnosed with autism in 2021, and has since struggled with socialising. Working in the pie shop has apparently helped him.
Tillie May, 15
One of Tillie's legs stopped growing when she was just 18 months old, due to an infection. In 2019, she was fitted with a frame to help strengthen the limb, but - last year - it was revealed she'd need further treatment and potential surgery.
Oscar Will, 13
Oscar has been described as having 'incredible initiative' at school.
Casper Theo, 12
Casper always dreamt of being a footballer, but was gutted on his family's show when he didn't make it into a Premier League club's youth team.
Alfie Thomas
Alfie would have been the Radfords' 17th child, but he was tragically stillborn at three months. The Radfords refer to him as their 'missing heartbeat'.
Hallie Alphia Beau, 10
Hallie's middle name was given in tribute to her late brother, who died just a year before her birth.
Phoebe Willow, eight
Phoebe has been awarded prizes at school for her achievements, much to her parents' pride.
Archie Rowan, seven
As the 20th Radford baby, Archie was expected to be the last - marking 'a nice, even number' in Sue's words.
Bonnie Raye, six
Again, Bonnie was expected to 'finish' the brood, but plans changed.
Heidie Rose, five
The youngest Radford child, mum Sue has since insisted: 'No, that's it now!'