How mum-of-22 Sue Radford has been cruelly mum-shamed & her epic comebacks to silence the haters
WITH 22 kids and their own TV show, the Radfords are one of Britain’s most famous families – so they’re often in the social media spotlight.
This means they have a loyal following of fans, including over 360k YouTube subscribers and 500k on Instagram.
But sadly for every positive comment and ‘like’, comes plenty of negativity and trolling, and parents Sue and Noel find themselves constantly coming under scrutiny.
They’re often forced to hit back – but they refuse to let it get to them, with Noel saying: “I don’t care what anyone says, it doesn’t bother me.”
Sue’s says the family followers are “lovely”, and her secret to dealing with online abuse is simple, “we stick to our socials, [and] we don’t go elsewhere looking for these things”.
Parents Sue and Noel Radford share children Chris, 33, Sophie, 29, Chloe, 27, Jack, 25, Daniel, 24, Luke, 22, Millie, 22, Katie, 20, James, 19, Ellie, 17, Aimee, 16, Josh, 15, Max, 14, Tillie, 12, Oscar, 11, Casper, 10, Alfie, who was tragically stillborn in 2014, Hallie, seven, Phoebe, six, Archie, five, Bonnie, four and Heidie, two.
Here, we take a look at just some of the times Sue was forced to hit back after being targeted by trolls and mum-shaming social media users…
‘You can’t possibly pay for all those children’
One of the biggest topics that Sue has to constantly address is if they live off benefits because they have so many kids, and they’re always faced with harsh remarks about how they can afford their brood.
In an online Q & A, someone asked: “What are the most common misconceptions people have about your family?”
Sue, who doesn’t receive any benefits, said people always assume it would be impossible to fund such a huge family.
She said: “I think it’s just that you know or you don’t possibly you can’t possibly pay for all of those children.
“People don’t kind of realise that we don’t just have the bakery… We have YouTube and the TV programme… it’s not just one income there.”
‘Give back instead of flaunting your wealth’
In November 2021, Sue excitedly shared a video showing off the fancy £750 Emma mattress that she had invested in for her kids’ bedrooms.
However, not everyone was happy about this, and gave Sue a piece of their mind.
One follower wrote: “Disgusting waste of money, you should remember where you came from and start giving back instead of flaunting your ‘wealth.’
“Are people so blind not to see that you’ve taken advantage of freebies, cause no amount of pies would be enough to cover the expensive items you’ve been bragging about.
“Seriously so many people are homeless and starving.”
Sue shared a screenshot of the comment, and retorted: “Oh I do, we’ve worked extremely hard to get to where we are now.
“I think people forget that we don’t just have our bakery, we also work very hard on our media company and filming for our new program just like lots of other ‘influencers’.
“I hate that word but most YouTubers don’t also run a very successful business.”
‘Nobody else’s business’
In May last year, Sue was once again forced to speak out after online trolls criticised her spending, insisting she “works hard” to support her brood.
Speaking to Femail, she said: “At the end of the day, it’s our money.
“We work really hard for what we have and if we want to spend it on whatever we want to spend it on, we will.
“I don’t really think it’s anybody’s business what anybody chooses to spend their money on when it’s their money and they’ve worked for that money.”
‘Just be kind’
Sadly, even the kids are subjected to negativity, with one troll even posting cruel comments about Sue’s baby daughter Bonnie.
The comment came after Sue shared a photo of Bonnie on her Instagram stories as she joined her older siblings to clean out the rabbit hutch.
Posting on her stories, Sue added: “I wasn’t going to share this but I can’t stop thinking about it.
“Why would anyone think it’s ok to call a one year old a horrible COW?! She’s ONE YEAR OLD.”
“I seriously hope this woman doesn’t have children because this comment is beyond messed up. Just be kind.”
‘Disgusted’ by comments
Sue was also left devastated when her 18-year-old daughter Millie was slammed online following the announcement of her pregnancy in 2020.
“Hopefully she won’t follow in her mother’s footsteps,” one person cruelly wrote, while another said: “They really don’t give a f*** do they.”
Responding on Instagram, Sue hit back, writing: “Honestly disgusted to read the things I’ve read since last night.
“Social media is the tout of all [evil] and absolutely no wonder people take their own lives through it.”
‘Damned if I do, damned if I don’t’
Whatever Sue does, sadly she knows she may face backlash – even when doing something nice, like organising a toy collection.
Posting about the good cause, in aid of charity Salvation Army, Sue wrote: “Damned if I do and damned if I don’t post things like this but hey ho.
“I am posting this to let people know tomorrow is the last day to drop toys off at the Salvation Army, so many children will be so happy for the toys that are gifted for Christmas.
“If you can donate please do let’s put a smile on those children’s faces this Christmas.”
Thankfully, the family received plenty of support in the face of the trolls, with one follower writing: “People slate them for posting about the things they do for charity as if they’re bragging they can do it.
“But when they don’t post it they get moaned at for not doing it.. on social media you can’t win.
“I think Sue & Noel are a lovely couple & people should leave them alone.”
‘Do you spoil your kids?’
Sue has also hit back at critics who accused her of spoiling her large brood.
She revealed: “Somebody said, ‘hey, don’t mean to be rude but why do you guys spoil your kids? Why do you think they deserve it?’”
But she had a firm answer for them and anyone else who held the same opinion.
She replied: “I don’t think we do spoil our kids.
“I think that we try and give them a good life. [But] I don’t feel like we spoil them.”
Trolled for travelling
The Radford family, who are currently in Miami, Florida, have also attracted plenty of attention with the number of holidays they’ve been on.
The jet-setting family have had at least 17 trips away in the last 20 months, ranging from caravan staycations to Florida getaways.
It’s led some jealous trolls to criticise the family, lashing out and suggesting they must have been gifted the trips.
However, whenever Sue is hit with accusations that their vacations must be a freebie and they couldn’t possibly afford their holidays, she is always quick to set the record straight.
“Was any part of the holiday gifted?” One person asked.
To which Sue replied: “No, we paid for our holiday.”
Sadly, Sue isn’t the only mum who has to put up with online shaming and negativity, with Stacey Solomon also recently hitting back after being trolled over her luxury holiday.