How Sue and Noel Radford saved their marriage and business after nearly going bankrupt
The Radford’s Struggle
Sue’s Revelation
The Turning Point
A Strong Marriage
Recovery and New Beginnings
Teamwork and Date Nights
Managing a Large Family
Life Behind the Cameras
The Couple’s Remarkable Journey
Every couple goes through their ups and downs, with some wondering whether their relationship will survive another year. TV super-couple Sue and Noel Radford are no different and they even recently revealed that their marriage almost ended over a devastating blow.
During a tell-all-interview to promote their new book, mum-of-22 Sue revealed that the couple nearly ‘went bankrupt’ and it left her wondering whether her marriage would survive. With plenty of mouths to feed at home, the couple had set up their bakery business and were so successful that they opened a new site in 2000. Having relied on the tourist trade, the couple faced a devastating blow when Foot and Mouth disease swept through the UK. With holidaymakers virtually disappearing overnight, the business failed and the TV couple faced ‘losing everything’.
“We almost went bankrupt and thought we would lose the house. I just kept thinking, ‘There’s no way out of this, and I really don’t see how our marriage can survive,'” she confessed to OK! She added: “The whole thing took its toll on me and Noel. Looking back now, I can see that we would never, ever have called it a day but when you’re in that highly-pressurised moment it’s hard to see a way out.” The strain on them became so bad that she even considered divorce, despite her and Noel already having a large family at the time.
“There were days when I’d think: ‘that’s it, I’m leaving the business and Noel, I just can’t do it anymore,” revealed the mum-of-22. Thankfully, the couple were able to recover and were even able to start a new small business, selling pies to the people of Heysham and Morecambe.
“Our marriage has always been strong – and having the kids kept us right. We stuck together and got through it. It was sink or swim and we chose to swim,” she explained, adding: “We paid off the debts and vowed we would never, ever be in that situation again.”
Over a decade on, the Radfords say that they also worked on maintaining their marriage and say that it is ‘teamwork’ that got them through the darkest times. “We don’t take each other for granted, we’re each other’s best friend and we try to get a date night now once a month – we have ready-made babysitters after all!” she joked.
With even more mouths to feed at home, the couple are busier than ever juggling their business, reality TV series and 22 kids. Despite having more than enough on their plate, the Radfords have written a book and shared what life is really like for Britain’s biggest family – away from the cameras. We just can’t understand how they can manage to juggle so much.