Tom Parker’s widow Kelsey has hit back at trolls after going public with her new relationship with boyfriend Will, two years after The Wanted star’s death.
The mother-of-two, 33, told how the late singer “would want me to be happy” after receiving horrible messages when she took off her wedding ring.
Earlier this week, Kelsey shared a snap of her new partner on her Instagram. and simply captioned the post with a heart emoji.
Kelsey was widowed in March 2022 when her husband Tom, best known as a member of The Wanted, died after a battle with brain cancer at just 33 years old.
Two years later, she revealed that she is in a new relationship with fellow tree surgeon, whom she met while fundraising in honor of her late husband.
Tom Parker’s widow Kelsey has hit back at trolls after going public with her new relationship with boyfriend Will, two years after The Wanted star’s death (pictured in January).
The mother-of-two, 33, told how the late singer “would want me to be happy” after she shared a photo of her new partner on her Instagram and simply captioned the post with a heart emoji.
In lines from her new book, Kelsey Parker: With And Without You, obtained by the sunKelsey reflected on her journey with grief and her search for love again.
She explained: ‘I have reached a stage in my grief journey where I have let go of that guilt. Tom would want me to be happy.
Kelsey dated electrician Sean Boggans in November 2022 after the death of her husband the previous March, although they ended up separating permanently in December 2023 after an on-again, off-again relationship.
Referring to her time with Sean, she said: “At that point in my healing journey, I needed someone to give me what my family and friends couldn’t: I craved company in the evenings, but, more than anything, I didn’t have it. “. I want to be treated like a widow.
‘Earlier this year, I decided to take off my wedding ring and the trolling started again. I took off the ring because, for me, it was too painful to look at it every day. That doesn’t mean I’m forgetting Tom.
Tom Parker’s last charity football game took place on June 16, Father’s Day. It is not known if that was when she met her new boyfriend, Will.
Last year, Kelsey said she knew her late husband Parker would ‘send the right man for her,’ weeks before revealing their new romance.
In an interview with OK! In the June issue, Kelsey shared that she knows Parker will “send the right man to her.”
Kelsey was widowed in March 2022 when her husband Tom, best known as a member of The Wanted, died after a battle with brain cancer at just 33 years old (Tom pictured with children Bodhi and Aurelia).
Two years later, she revealed that she is in a new relationship with fellow tree surgeon, whom she met while fundraising in honor of her late husband (pictured at Tom Parker’s charity football game in June).
She explained: ‘I have reached a stage in my grief journey where I have let go of that guilt. Tom would want me to be happy.
She said, “When it has to be, it will be, and that person will be sent by Tom, I think.” He is choosing them for me.
Detailing her thoughts on her now ex Boggans, who she dated after Parker’s death, she added: “I think she sent Sean for a reason. “Sean was what I needed at the time and he was wonderful.
“I will never say a bad word about him. But right now I need to focus on work and supporting my children.”
Last weekend, Kelsey took to Instagram to share a photo of herself getting close to her new partner. She was in a great mood as the couple hugged and Kelsey simply captioned the post with a heart emoji.
Kelsey didn’t share any specific details about her new man, but she did receive several messages of support from her famous friends.
“Kelsey and Sean split up around the anniversary of Tom’s death – her head was all over the place at the time and she was reeling – but Sean still really liked her and was pursuing her,” a source told The Sun.
‘After a few weeks of talking, they got back together; she couldn’t ignore her feelings for him. “It’s been very difficult for them, but she wants to try.”
Sean spent time behind bars after fatally punching Shaun McDermott, 44, during a heated argument over a taxi outside the Havering Oak pub in Romford, Essex.
Kelsey dated electrician Sean Boggans in November 2022 after the death of her husband the previous March, although they ended up separating permanently in December 2023 after an on-again, off-again relationship.
Referring to her time with Sean, she said: “At that point in my healing journey, I needed someone to give me what my family and friends couldn’t: I craved company in the evenings, but, more than anything, I didn’t have it. “. I want to be treated like a widow.
She confirmed their separation in December 2023.
He was waiting for his then-girlfriend to pick him up when an argument broke out with Shaun, who fell to the ground during the skirmish. CCTV footage later captured the electrician walking away from the scene.
Shaun was discovered by police lying on the sidewalk around 1am with a brain bleed. A post-mortem found he died as a result of head injuries, and an Old Bailey judge handed Boggans a four-year sentence.
Even though she eventually found happiness again, Kelsey was inundated with vile messages about not “grieving properly” even though she found it difficult to cope.
Kelsey responded to the trolls when she told The Daily Star: “When you lose someone you love so much, it shows that you only have one life.”
‘Tom would want me to be happy. You have one life, so you should live it. That’s what he has taught us.
‘When it comes to dating again…what does it have to do with anyone else?’ I think whatever makes you happy in life, you have to do it.’
‘There is a lot of stigma about how one should grieve. People think you should dress in black with a veil over your face and be a walking widow. But that is not the case. I’m still young and I have children to take care of.
“There’s no rule book for grieving and I tell people, don’t worry about how you’re grieving because there’s no right or wrong way to do it.”
“You could be smiling one minute and then deeply emotional the next minute. There is no right or wrong way.’
Kelsey previously said her late husband would be “happy” if he found love again after his death.
She and Parker were together for about 13 years. They announced their engagement in 2016 and married in a romantic ceremony in Surrey in 2018.
Parker was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma in October 2020 and doctors gave him just 12 months to live.
In September 2021, 11 months after diagnosis, Parker sang at the Stand Up 2 Cancer show at the Royal Albert Hall and even embarked on a Greatest Hits tour with his bandmates when the tumor was confirmed to be “stable” in November.
But a close family friend revealed today that Parker’s condition deteriorated rapidly once the tour ended and he died in March 2022.
In addition to the update on her private life, Kelsey is also focused on work, as she has been presented as one of the parenting experts who will take the stage at The Baby Show, with Lidl GB, the largest and most loved pregnancy in the Kingdom United. and baby event.
In an interview with OK! In June, Kelsey shared that she knows Tom will “send the right man for her.”
It will take place at Olympia Events (formerly Olympia London) between Friday 25th and Sunday 27th October and joins a host of well-known names sharing their parenting journeys.
Kelsey’s role that day will see her present Mum’s the Word! Q&A with Georgia Jones, where they will chat with This Morning’s Sian Welby.
Other interesting details on the list include a Q&A with Olympian Amber Rutter, hosted by Baby2Body’s Melinda Nicci and a dads’ panel, hosted by CBeebies’ Nigel Clarke, featuring blue star Simon Webbe and Ashley Glazebrook from Britain’s Got Talent.
Love Island star Olivia Bowen will also take to the stage.
