Reality star Millie Radford and her partner Harley Passmore experienced an emotional rollercoaster on their wedding day, as seen on the Channel 5 reality show 22 Kids and A Wedding.
The programme is a spin-off from the popular series 22 Kids and Counting, which follows the lives of Noel and Sue Radford and their extensive family. In this new show, viewers watched 23-year-old Millie and Harley prepare to exchange vows and start their married life together.
However, the lead-up to their special day was fraught with tension, including a tearful moment for Harley and a sudden family dispute that threatened to cast a shadow over the celebrations. The cameras were there as Harley discussed his close bond with his mother, which has been tested by devastating family losses.
Harley emotionally revealed: “As a little kid, I always wanted to be around my mum, I’ve always been a mummy’s boy. Before my sister and my dad passed away, she’d always do stuff, she was a very loving mum, I guess.”
He also expressed his worries about whether his mother would attend the wedding, saying: “When my sister passed away, it obviously hurt her, it’d hurt any parent. When she died, I didn’t have that support as much.
“I felt like I lost my mum as well as my sister. Millie doesn’t think she’s gonna come but I’m positive she will come”, reports the Mirror.
Millie Radford in her wedding dress
Millie, from Morecambe, acknowledged the importance of family support at her wedding, saying: “I’ve got all my family there so I think it is really important Harley has his mum there.”
With 22 siblings, Millie’s side of the aisle was brimming with relatives eager to celebrate the couple’s union. However, Harley experienced a crushing disappointment when his mother failed to appear.
Devastated, he said: “I realised my mum wasn’t there when I saw family friends walk in, who she’d actually come with, and she just wasn’t there. Before anyone walked down the aisle, I cried that much, it got to me that my mum wasn’t actually there. It was heart-breaking.”
Later in the episode, he shared: “Even though she didn’t come, it’s my special day and obviously it’s Millie’s special day and I don’t want to be sad. Obviously it is sad but I’ll be alright.”
Sue Radford on the wedding day
The episode also revealed that Millie and Harley’s journey to the altar wasn’t without its difficulties, as Sue, the family matriarch, disclosed some underlying tensions. The reality star commented: “There has been quite a bit of bickering about the wedding, I think it’s been quite stressful. Sometimes they do clash a bit, it’s been stressful.”
Millie, the third eldest daughter and the second of the Radford offspring to tie the knot, shared her feelings candidly: “I love Harley, a lot. But he does do my head in most days.
“Harley wants it the one way and I want it another way. It’s been horrendous, but it’s even more hard work when Harley tries to get involved in it. I snap at him because he’s not getting involved but when he does, it’s awful.”
As they navigated pre-wedding pressures, Harley disclosed: “The preparation has been very, very stressful. Me and Millie have been arguing, we’ve been bickering.”
Making matters worse was the bombshell from Harley’s best man, revealing his inability to attend the wedding with just 24 hours to spare – and he was holding the rings. The tumultuous build-up was documented in a special episode broadcast on Channel 5 on Sunday evening (January 12), which also captured how Storm Bert loomed over their big day.
Despite the setbacks, the pair managed to say their ‘I dos. ‘.
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