Tom Parker’s widow Kelsey has shared a heartwarming post as she prepares for a third Christmas since his tragic death, while his former The Wanted bandmate Max George spends the season in hospital undergoing heart surgery .
Kelsey and Tom, who died in March 2022 after a battle with brain cancer aged just 33, shared five-year-old daughter Aurelia and four-year-old son Bodhi.
On Instagram, she posted a series of snaps of the late singer and said that while Christmas for the family is filled with “a lot of love and joy,” she feels his “absence in everything.”
Kelsey wrote: ‘This will be our third Christmas without Tom, and while the holidays are filled with much love and joy, they also bring moments of deep sadness.
“Seeing the children’s excitement reminds me how much I loved this time of year…and I feel its absence in everything we do.”
She continued: ‘But we find strength in our memories! In each other and in creating new traditions keeping Tom’s spirit alive. “To anyone going through grief during the holidays, you are stronger than you think.”
Tom Parker’s widow Kelsey has shared a heartfelt post and series of snaps as she prepares for a third Christmas since his tragic death (pictured in 2020).
Kelsey and Tom, who died in March 2022 after a battle with brain cancer aged just 33, shared daughter Aurelia, five, and son Bodhi, four (pictured earlier this month) .
Meanwhile, The Wanted bandmate Max George will spend the season in hospital undergoing heart surgery.
Max revealed on Thursday that he would be spending Christmas in hospital to undergo heart surgery.
The Strictly star, 36, who has previously battled alcoholism, admitted he is “very lucky this was caught when it was” as he shared the shocking health scare.
Max has not revealed what condition he suffers from.
He wrote: ‘Hello everyone, yesterday I felt very bad and was taken to hospital. Unfortunately, after some tests, they found out that I have some problems with my heart.
‘I have many more tests to determine the extent of the problems and what surgery I will need to recover.
‘It’s going to be a tough few weeks/months…and Christmas in a hospital bed wasn’t exactly what I had planned! But, as always, I am surrounded by love and support from my wonderful partner Maisie (Smith), her family, my family and friends… and I am 100% in the best place.
‘Although this is a huge shock and certainly a setback, it is something I will face with all my might! I consider myself very lucky that this was detected when it occurred.
‘Sorry if I bore you with updates in the next few weeks… I’ve probably been in bed for a month and there’s not THAT much to do!
On Instagram, she shared a series of snaps of the late singer in happier times.
One snapshot showed him holding his young daughter smiling.
Kelsey also gave Tom a kiss on the cheek in another snowy snap.
She said that while Christmas for the family is “filled with so much love and joy,” she feels its “absence in everything.”
She wrote: “This will be our third Christmas without Tom, and while the holidays are filled with much love and joy, they also bring moments of deep sadness.”
‘Let’s do this! Much love, Max x’
Shortly after his announcement, Max posted a light-hearted joke from his hospital bed about Manchester City’s defeat in Wednesday night’s football match.
Lying in bed with a heart monitor on his chest, he joked: “So I think they’re officially trying to kill me… come on guys.”
Max has been open about his battle with binge drinking and alcoholism over the years, previously admitting he drank “10 pints and three bottles of wine in one night.”
Last year, the singer revealed that he used alcohol to “adjust” to the spotlight and help ease his anxiety during his “lowest point.”
He referenced an incident where he consumed 10 pints and three bottles of wine in one night while celebrating his birthday.
The drink contained approximately 38 units of alcohol. The NHS advises that men and women should consume no more than 14 units over the course of a week.
Speaking about his drinking on Channel 4’s Scared Of The Dark, he said: “It always pissed me off before I performed.” I struggled to adapt, so I used to drink to feel like it didn’t bother me.
“Sometimes it’s quite difficult to differentiate between anxiety and depression, but mine was certainly more the anxiety side that started when the boys went to number one with All Time Low.”
Referring to his birthday binge, he confessed: “I was sick for a week. The doctor examined my liver and said my liver count was quite low, I’m not going to play with my liver. Then I stopped.’
Max revealed on Thursday that he would be spending Christmas in hospital to undergo heart surgery.
He admitted he’s “very lucky this was caught at that time,” as he shared the shocking health update from the hospital, showing a heart monitor on his chest.
Siva Kaneswaran, Nathan Sykes, Tom, Max and Jay McGuiness from The Wanted photographed in 2021
He added that he was also inspired to stop drinking after learning of his late bandmate Tom’s stage four glioblastoma diagnosis.
Breaking down into tears, she confessed to Paul: ‘How do you deal with it? There’s no cure for it, so I guess you just learn to get on with your life. But deal with it, definitely not.
‘I…I don’t think I’ll ever be okay with that, you know? One of the last things I said to him was, I thanked him for making my life so much better than it could have been, you know, like that whole journey of being in the band.
‘He was my best friend. Fuck. I just don’t want it to be a burden or a thing for anyone else.’
Max previously revealed that sobriety has made his life clearer, despite leaving him “really bored on the weekends.”
In March last year he said: “I haven’t had a drink in 18 months, everyone says, ‘I bet you feel better, don’t you?'”
‘No, I just get really bored on the weekends! Just gloomy as always during the week. It’s been good, it’s easier to stay fit… so yeah, it’s all pretty clear now.’
The Wanted released a statement in January 2014 to announce that they would be taking time apart to “pursue personal projects.”
If you are concerned about your or someone else’s alcohol consumption, call Drinkline for free on 0300 123 1110 (Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm, weekends 11am to 4pm).