The Radfords are one of the most famous families on the telly – but the clan have had their fair share of health issues.
Since shooting to fame back in 2012, the family have become regulars on TV screens – with Sue and Noel at the head of the clan.
The gang are back on screens today (April 6) for Channel 5’s 22 Kids and Counting, giving fans a look inside their jam-packed and sometimes chaotic life.
However, the Radfords have endured some very challenging health issues over the years.
The Radfords illnesses – Harley’s ‘stroke’ fears
Last month, Harley – who is the husband of Millie Radford – faced a scary health ordeal that caused doctors to fear he’d had a mini-stroke.
The 22 year old took to his Instagram and revealed that doctors diagnosed him with Bell’s Palsy. This is a temporary condition causing sudden weakness on one side of the face.
However, after taking time to rest, Harley’s condition worsened on March 16.
“Got a lot of people asking what was up. I went in on Sunday, they told me it was Bell’s Palsy, so I came home and relaxed for the rest of the day and Monday,” he said.
Harley added: “But yesterday my arm/leg went numb and weak on my left side so I had to be rushed to hospital as they said that Bell’s Palsy shouldn’t go to your body so they thought I had a mini-stroke.
“They kept me in overnight last night to do tests/MRI scan. So glad it wasn’t a stroke at such a young age.”
Tillie’s ‘traumatising’ surgery
Sue and Noel’s daughter Tillie has lived the majority of her life with Limb Length Discrepancy (LLD).
LLD is a condition where one arm or leg is shorter than the other. In Tillie’s case, her right leg is 3.5cm shorter than her left one.
Tillie’s leg stopped growing when she was 18 months old, and she had a frame fitted to her leg to help lengthen it.
However, four years on from her surgery, Tillie’s leg troubles were still not behind her.
“My leg isn’t growing and I’m very lopsided. If I don’t go on my tiptoe, one leg is shorter than the other and it’s really uncomfortable to walk on,” she said on the Channel 5 show in 2024.
Tillie was faced with the prospect of having another operation to prevent complications down the line. However, teenager Tillie, now 14, didn’t want to go ahead with it following her previous “traumatising” surgery.
“When I first got the surgery, I came out of it and I just never wanted to look at it. That all looked…” she said.
Noel then added: “I do remember you didn’t take the bed covers off or anything, you didn’t want anyone to see. It was a lot bigger than what you thought, wasn’t it, and was quite traumatising to see.”
Sue Radford ‘nearly died’
Back in August 2023, Sue went through a horrifying experience that nearly saw her “biggest fear” come true.
At the time, she was on holiday with her family in Florida. However, their trip took a dramatic turn when Sue started choking at dinner.
On her Instagram Story, she shared a photo of their evening meal: a seafood banquet. Alongside the photo, she wrote: “Seafood boil tonight. I was choking on a prawn. Literally saw my life flash in front of me until @katieeradfordd saw me choking and slammed me on the back a few times till it came flying out.
“Scared the life out of me,” she added.
View this post on Instagram
Baby’s deadly diagnosis
In December 2022, Sue and Noel’s third daughter, Millie revealed that her son had been diagnosed with Strep A.
Group A Streptococcus, aka Strep A, is a bacteria that is usually found on the skin or in the throat. Untreated, the bacteria can cause a number of health issues, with some even potentially life-threatening.
Taking to social media at the time, Millie shared that Chester – born in February 2022 – started to feel unwell on a Friday. Convinced he had Strep A, she booked an emergency appointment at midnight on the same day. There she was told that Chester had conjunctivitis.
However, things took a turn for the worse the next morning. At 5am, Millie found her baby with blood pouring from his nose.
“This nosebleed has happened because he has Strep A. It’s been that aggressive in his throat, his face has swollen up, his ears are inflamed and the pressure it’s been causing around his face has left him with a pouring nosebleed,” she explained on social media.
Meanwhile, Sue also reacted to the heartbreaking turn of events and posted on social media: “Got the shock of my life early this morning getting woken up by Millie worried sick about Chester.
“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing – his nose pouring with blood and him looking so poorly. To say we feel let down by this doctor that saw Chester at midnight on Friday is an understatement with how serious Strep A is.
“This could have been so much worse. Thank God for the amazing team at RLI (Royal Lancaster Infirmary).”
22 Kids and Counting airs on Sunday (April 6) at 11:35am on Channel 5.
So what do you think of this story? You can leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.