Tom Parker’s widow says their daughter, 2, thinks The Wanted singer is on tour: 'He's not coming back'
Parker, 33, was diagnosed with stage four glioblastoma in 2020
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tom Parker’s widow Kelsey is opening up about her life after losing the singer.
The member of the English boy band The Wanted passed away in March at age 33. He was diagnosed with stage four glioblastoma in 2020.
On Tuesday, Kelsey appeared on the British talk show "Lorraine" and discussed how she and her daughter Aurelia Rose, 2, have been adjusting.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I’ve been really honest, but she does still talk about him every day and she doesn’t quite understand that he’s not coming back," Kelsey admitted. "So I have to be really blunt to say he’s not coming, that’s it. He’s dead and he’s not coming back."
THE WANTED'S TOM PARKER DEAD AT 33
Tom Parker and Kelsey Hardwick Parker married in 2018. (David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for The London Cabaret Club)
Kelsey and Parker married in 2018. They welcomed a son named Bodhi Thomas in November 2020 after his diagnosis. The heartbroken spouse said Bodhi hasn’t gotten a grasp of the situation, but Aurelia insists that her father is still on tour with his bandmates.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"She’s a bit like, ‘Well, you’ve been on tour, so is he going to come back from this?’" said Kelsey. "She’s just really confused by it. She does ask me every day about him. We have little things around the house of Tom’s, so she’ll see his wallet and be like, ‘Oh, that’s daddy’s wallet!’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s daddy’s wallet.’"
Kelsey shared that despite Parker’s diagnosis, their home remained a place of optimism for their children before his passing.
"Our house was never sad," she explained. "It was a happy place to be in, so we wanted to write a book and share that with people. That you can be in a really dark place, but take some light from it."
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"[The kids] wake up happy… so I can’t be sad," she continued. "And he wouldn’t want us to be sad and mourning. Don’t get me wrong, I get my bad days, of course, I do. At night, it is lonely. But this is my life, I have to get on with it."
Still, Kelsey said she’s still trying to make sense of losing her beloved husband.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"He was my actual best friend," she said. "I just love him so much. I think it’s that I don’t get to text him when things happen and I don’t get to call him. I think that’s what I find really, really hard. I really miss him."
Just days before his death, Parker announced his new book on Instagram. He told his followers that it was "not about dying" but "about living."
THE WANTED SINGER TOM PARKER DIAGNOSED WITH BRAIN TUMOR
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tom Parker and Kelsey shared two children. (Dave M. Benett/Getty Images)
The Wanted reunited for a brief U.K. tour right before Parker’s death. The musicians served as pallbearers at his London funeral. They have since canceled an upcoming performer earlier this month, telling fans that they were "still processing" his death.