Channel 5’s 22 Kids and Counting returned for a new series on Sunday, with Britain’s largest family sharing candid moments of the ups and downs of family life.
However, parents Sue and Noel Radford weren’t their upbeat selves for much of the episode after they received news which left them both “gutted”.
The episode started with the couple sharing their dream of moving away to the countryside to provide a new life for the youngest of their brood, their dogs and themselves.
They’ve lived in their 10-bedroom Morecambe home in Lancashire for 20 years and detailed how they felt it was time to move on and make a home somewhere else.
All of the family were excited, but notably, matriarch Sue was enthusing about the move after the family fell in love with a house surrounded by fields.
Their offer on the house was accepted, so the couple felt it safe to tell the children to gear up for the big move.
“Even from being quite young, I’ve always wanted to live in the country,” the mother-of-22 beamed. “It will be amazing for the kids. It is everything that we want.”
However, the family’s dream came crashing down as some unexpected news was delivered to Noel in the form of a phone call.
Noel, 53, was driving when he answered a call from his estate agent, who explained: “The sellers have just been in touch this morning and there’s been a development. This is never an easy call to make.
“Unfortunately, it seems that their own house purchase has fallen through, so the chain has collapsed and that means that they’ve taken theirs off the market.”
Noel Radford held back tears when he received the news on the latest 22 Kids and Counting
Channel 5
Holding back tears, Noel was visibly choked up and could only respond: “OK,” before ending the call.
“I’m really p****d off,” he admitted to the cameras. “We had our heart set on that house. The kids have all seen it, they’re really excited about it.”
He went on to add: “Sue will be absolutely gutted.” As he returned home, Noel broke the news to Sue, 49, who was understandably crushed by the update.
“I’m not feeling like I want to talk about it,” she told the cameras. Noel went on to reflect: “It’s taken the wind out of her sails. She feels really down and fed up.”
The Radford family had fallen in love with a new home but were given a devastating update
Channel 5
Later opening up about the news, Sue shared: “We were really gutted we’re not going to get that country life. It has been quite difficult.”
Thankfully, daughter Chloe was later on hand to cheer her mum up. After inviting her for a walk to get some fresh air, she explained that although Sue had been hoping the youngsters could enjoy “the perfect childhood in the countryside,” she had managed to have a perfect childhood in the home she grew up in.