Father-of-22 Noel Radford goes shirtless to sunbathe during ‘midlife crisis’ that has ‘worried’ whole family

For most dads, a midlife crisis would see them trade in their old car for a sports car, but father of 22 Noel Radford is giving himself a makeover instead.

The father of Britain’s largest family stripped down to sunbathe amid a “midlife crisis” on this week’s episode of 22 Kids & Counting.

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In a new clip from the show, which fans of the brood can watch on Channel 5 this Sunday at 8pm, the narrator reveals that “Noel’s behaviour is worrying everyone as a midlife crisis sets in.”

The father can then be seen standing shirtless as he gets a spray tan applied by Sunkissed.

And his unusual behavior did not go unnoticed by the rest of the family.

“Have you noticed Dad was acting a bit strange?” his daughter Katie can be heard asking her mother Sue.

The family matriarch also expressed her concerns, adding: “It makes you think: is he unhappy in his life? In his extended family? Me?”

And it seems the father’s “midlife crisis” isn’t limited to his appearance as he has hinted at the possibility of a big move.

The 53-year-old lamented missing out on his lifelong dream of becoming a truck driver in sunny Australia.

In the episode, the master pastry chef went hiking with other parents of the same age group.

But unlike busy couple Sue and Noel, the peers have already moved their children out of the house, giving them all the time in the world.

Unfortunately, this is not the case for Noël, who admitted that for them, “it has always been work and family, that’s all.”

The father, whose family lives in a huge 10-bedroom mansion, admitted he felt like his “wings were being clipped”.

“Seeing my friends having fun is a real wake-up call. If I wait until all my kids leave the nest, I’ll be too old to do the things I want to do.”

“That sounds selfish, doesn’t it? But yeah, maybe I need to find some time for myself.”

After having a heart-to-heart with Sue, 49, Noel announced he would be quitting his job as baking guru and working just two days a week, leaving his children Chloe and Luke in charge.

But it wasn’t just the fact of handing over the running of the bakery to the children that worried Sue, who felt there would be another “conflict”.

Inspired by the stories of freedom shared by his peers, Noel then called his old friend Will who had moved to Australia years ago.

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The discussion must have been so exciting that the pie guru even tried to convince the matriarch to buy a property in Australia.

Sue, however, was anything but thrilled, completely taken aback by her husband’s sudden change in demeanor.

Speaking to the camera, she said: “Noel has never really changed since I first met him. He’s such a family man.

“He likes to work hard and he likes to support all of us. He has been a rock to me and the kids. My Mr. Reliable.”

Although Sue knew it was normal for her perspective on life to change as she got older, the 49-year-old admitted she feared it was the start of a “midlife crisis” for her beloved husband.

“Maybe he’ll want a flashy sports car or something,” she wondered.

Despite his efforts, Noel’s plan to move the brood to Australia for a while didn’t necessarily win Sue’s heart – however, he later suggested an alternative, Dubai.

After jetting off to the trendy influencer hotspot, the loving couple enjoyed a series of fun activities, such as sandboarding and water slides.

The 53-year-old revealed he was “sold” on the idea – and even the matriarch was starting to “warm up to the idea”.

“Being away from family isn’t exactly ideal, is it?” he said.

“But we’re not going to have that lifestyle in Morecambe, Lancashire, are we?”

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