Kelsey Parker has hit back at trolls who slammed her for dating again after her husband Tom’s tragic death, insisting there is ‘no rule book’ for grief.
The Wanted star tragically passed away on March 30, 2022 following a year-and-a-half long battle with stage four glioblastoma brain cancer, aged just 33.
Kelsey is now raising their two children, Aurelia, four, and Bodhi, three, as a single mother and has shared her grief journey with the world.
In November 2022, eight months after Tom’s death, she began dating electrician Sean Boggans – although they have since split.
But despite finally finding happiness again, Kelsey was inundated with vile messages about not ‘grieving properly’ despite finding it hard to cope.
The mother-of-two confirmed her new romance in November 2022, after her husband Tom tragically died of a brain tumour in the previous March
Tom died from stage four glioblastoma brain cancer at the age of 33 on March 30, 2022, after he was given 12 months to live when he was diagnosed in October 2020
In her biography, With And Without You, she has now opened up about her experience of being a widow and finding meaning again after Tom’s death.
Speaking about her book, Kelsey hit back at trolls: ‘When you’ve lost someone you love so much, it proves to you that you’ve only got one life,’ she said, per The Sun.
‘Tom would want me to be happy. You’ve got one life, so you should live it. That’s what he’s taught us.
‘When it comes to dating again… what’s it got to do with anyone else? I think whatever makes you happy in life, you’ve got to do it.’
‘There is so much stigma on how you should grieve. People think you should wear black with a veil over my face and be a walking widow. But that’s not the case. I’m still young and I’ve got kids to look after.
‘There is no rule book for grief out there and I’m saying to people: don’t worry about how you’re grieving because there is no right or wrong way to do it.
‘You could be smiling one minute and then deep in emotion the next minute. There is no wrong or right way.’
Kelsey and Tom were together for around 13 years. They announced their engagement in 2016 and married in a romantic ceremony in Surrey in 2018.
Kelsey (pictured on December 5) has hit back at trolls in her new book, With And Without You
Sharing an update to Instagram earlier in December. she admitted that while she was no longer with Sean, she hoped ‘to find love again one day’
Kelsey and Sean had met at a wedding in Greenwich in October 2022. Kelsey has since said she is grateful for their relationship and that he supported her in the wake of Tom’s death.
Earlier this month it was revealed they had split for a second time, after initially separating in April.
Sharing an update to Instagram on Wednesday, she admitted that while she was no longer with Sean, she hoped ‘to find love again one day.’
It was reported in April, that Kelsey had broke up with her boyfriend after ‘difficult’ few weeks following the first anniversary of Tom’s death.
In September, it appeared that Kelsey and Sean had rekindled their relationship after attending a mutual friends wedding.
But, during an Instagram Q&A earlier in December, she revealed: ‘We’re not together anymore. It’s a shame it didn’t work out as he’s a really amazing person, but it just wasn’t right.
‘Hopefully one day I will find love again.’
Kelsey previously admitted that her new relationship with Sean ‘hadn’t been plain sailing’ after being forced to hit back at vile trolls.
Tom was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma in October 2020 and after his passing, Kelsey, 33, confirmed the tragic news to everyone (pictured here with their two children)
Appearing on Loose Women she said she ‘deserves a little bit of happiness’ after Tom’s death, adding it’s been ‘really hard’ to navigate a new romance.
She said: ‘That’s not plain sailing either because it’s really hard, we’re trying a new relationship and I am grieving someone and it’s really, really hard for both of us but do you know what, I’m really, really happy and deserve a little bit of happiness.’
She added: ‘Life’s tough and you have to be resilient, I have been resilient and I feel like I need happiness now.’
Kelsey hit back at trolls after going Instagram official with her boyfriend saying: ‘Tom will always be the love of my life.’
The mother-of-two wrote on Instagram Stories: ‘For anyone who thinks my new relationship is in any way a reflection of how I felt about Tom, after reading today’s paper, pls (sic) know that is not the case.’
Addressing the backlash on the panel show, she said: ‘This is the thing, I wanted the fairytale with Tom. I wanted the fairytale happy ending but that didn’t happen for me so how now do I move forward with my life?
‘I put Tom first, I put the children first. I just feel like now I need a bit of happiness.’
Speaking recently, Kelsey revealed their young children still talk to Tom every day.
While attending Action For Children’s Starry Night Gala at London’s Battersea Arts Centre on Thursday night she said: ‘They speak to him every day.
‘Today my daughter said something like, “I see a winter. Oh daddy, do you see this?”.
‘She’ll go on to my nan’s garden, and be like “oh dad…”. She’ll start talking to him.
‘And I’m really into it. I’ll say, “Talk to your dad”.
She added: ‘The kids know absolutely everything about what happened. They understand what a brain tumour is.’
WHAT IS A GLIOBLASTOMA AND JUST HOW DEADLY IS IT?
Glioblastoma is considered the most aggressive tumor that can form in the brain.
Patients have a 10 percent chance of surviving five years after their diagnosis, according to figures.
The average lifespan is between 14 and 16 months.
Three adults per every 100,000 will be struck down with a glioblastoma, says The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS).
It is most commonly found in men aged 50 to 60, and there is no link between developing glioblastoma and having a previous history with other cancers.
WHAT IS THE TUMOR MADE OF?
The tumor is made up of a mass of cells growing quickly in the brain, and in most cases patients have no family history of the disease.
It won’t spread to other organs, however, once it is diagnosed, it is nearly impossible to target, surgeons claim.
WHAT TREATMENT IS AVAILABLE?
Because the tumor likely already spread deep into the brain by the time it is diagnosed, the cancerous tissue is incredibly difficult to remove.
Surgeon will only ever remove the tumor, or part of the tumor, if it won’t do any damage to the surrounding brain tissue.
Dr Babcar Cisse, a neurosurgeon at the Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center, told Daily Mail Online in July 2017: ‘By the time a glioblastoma is diagnosed, microfibers can spread to the rest of the brain which an MRI would not spot.
‘So even if the main tumor is removed and the patient receives radiation and chemotherapy, it will come back.’
GRADING A GLIOBLASTOMA
Brain tumors are graded from between one to four, depending on how fast they grow and how aggressive they are.
Malignant tumors are either given a high-grade three or four, while benign ones are given a lower grade one or two.
SYMPTOMS
Patients typically complain of symptoms such as confused vision, trouble with memory, dizziness and headaches.
The symptoms are somewhat nonspecific, and vary from person to person, and may not persist.
The disease is therefore impossible to diagnose based on symptoms alone.
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