SUE and Noel Radford have shared “worries” for their daughter Ellie, 20.
In tonight’s episode of 22 Kids & Counting, viewers will see Ellie and her boyfriend Steven battle “disagreements” and “conflict.”
During episode four, after almost one year of bliss, cracks started to show for the young couple, as they approached their first anniversary.
Despite sparks flying “quite quickly” at the start of their relationship and the pair having moved in together after just a few months, now 11 months in, it was revealed that Steven had been keeping a very big secret.
As Ellie was filmed in their flat whilst home alone, she said: “He’s been doing a lot of hours at work, more than he usually would, so I’m by myself more than I usually would.
“When he’s not at work he’s down at the gym…Well, at least that’s what he says he’s doing.”
Read more on the Radfords
Clearly unhappy, Ellie continued: “Being in the flat on my own is very boring. It gets very lonely.
“I thought moving into a flat would be a bit more exciting but it’s not like that. It feels like I’ve not spoken to anyone for hours.”
Ellie’s older sister Chloe recognised the couple’s “difficult” situation, while later in the episode, Steven drew attention to the pair’s differences of opinion.
The gym enthusiast explained: “I want to get some more tattoos but Ellie’s not a fan, she said ‘enough is enough.’
“She did actually say, ‘no you’re not getting that’. Obviously I don’t want any conflict in my relationship, but I don’t really like being told what I can or can’t do.”
As the couple battled for who wore the trousers, Ellie’s mum Sue, 50, recognised: “They’ve been together nearly a year now but I think they’ve got to that stage where they’re starting to see each other’s faults.
“That’s when the arguments start and we’re worried their relationship is hitting the rocks.”
Meanwhile, dad-of-22 Noel, 55, chimed in: “It’s like them waking up from their dream and seeing who they are, warts and all.”
Not only this, but Ellie’s sister Aimee, 19, also had something to say as she explained: “When Ellie and Steven first met they just bounced off each other – love’s young dream.
“Recently there’s been a few things that they’ve disagreed on. There’s been a little bit of disagreement within their relationship.”
Later in the episode, it was revealed that Steven had in fact been keeping a very large secret from Ellie.
Not only this, but he had also been lying to her about his whereabouts.
It turned out that Steven had been having secret driving lessons and also did his driving test behind his girlfriend’s back.
How many people are in the Radford family?
Sue and Noel Radford have 22 children and 11 grandchildren.
- Noel – Born December 24, 1970
- Sue – Born March 22, 1975
- Chris – Born May 7, 1989 – married to Nicole Spencer and have three children: Maisie (June 3, 2017), Jacob (July 31, 2019), and Oaklyn, September 21, 2021). He is a stepdad to Nicole’s four kids
- Sophie – Born December 13, 1993– married to Joe Broadley and have three children: Daisy (August 27, 2012), Ayprill (October 13, 2014) and Leo, (December 24, 2015)
- Chloe – Born July 31, 1995– dating Jake Wallace and have one child: Mila (July 23, 2022), and due to have baby number two in 2025
- Jack – Born April 9, 1997
- Daniel – Born March 3, 1999
- Luke – Born October 1, 2000
- Millie – Born August 29, 2001 – married to Harley Passmore and have three children: Ophelia (September 12, 2020), Chester (February 20, 2022), and Elodie (September 19, 2023)
- Katie – Born November 14, 2002 – dating Connor Carter and have baby Ronnie (October 8, 2024)
- James – Born October 17, 2003
- Ellie – Born May 6, 2005
- Aimee – Born April 21, 2006
- Josh – Born July 3, 2007
- Max – Born December 11, 2008
- Tillie – Born May 2, 2010
- Oscar – Born October 22, 2011
- Casper – Born October 3, 2012
- Alfie – Stillborn July 6, 2014
- Hallie – Born June 3, 2015
- Phoebe – Born July 24, 2016
- Archie – Born September 18, 2017
- Bonnie – Born November 6, 2018
- Heidie – Born April 3, 2020
Not long after passing his test, Steven shared: “Ellie doesn’t know a lot.
“I’ve been smashing lessons three times a week so I’m going to surprise her and pick her up from work.”
After finding out about her boyfriend’s secrecy, Ellie said: “I couldn’t believe he was doing secret driving lessons.”
To this, Steven admitted: “I’m very bad at lying so it was quite difficult for me to lie about doing my driving lessons.
“I just got away with saying I was going to the gym.”
Ellie revealed that she thought Steven had been “getting up to mischief,” but later acknowledged: “It was a misunderstanding but we still love each other.”
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