Mum-of-two Kelsey Parker tells OK! about being a single parent two years after losing husband Tom of The Wanted
WORDS: SARAH MORTON PHOTOS: DAVID CUMMINGS, REX/SHUTTERSTOCK HAIR: MIKEY KARDASHIAN MAKE-UP: JEMMA WHITTAKER STYLISTS: SOPHIE GOODWIN, MEGAN REES
GOING IT ALONE
Back in March, on the second anniversary of her husband Tom’s untimely death, Kelsey Parker shared a post on Instagram, telling her followers it was “getting harder, not easier”.
And when we sit down with the mum of two, it’s clear the grief she feels at losing her soulmate is as raw as ever.
Despite looking immaculate on our Zoom call, with no make-up on, a messy bob and a big, open smile, the sadness behind Kelsey’s eyes is unmistakable.
“That first year after Tom died, it felt like an out-of-body experience,” she says, “I just threw myself into work because that was my coping mechanism. But the further you go down the line, the harder it gets. It’s been so long since I’ve seen him.”
The Wanted star Tom passed away after a courageous battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, in 2022 at the age of just 33. He left behind their two children, Aurelia, who turns five later this month, and Bodhi, now three, leaving Kelsey to raise the kids alone.
“It’s draining,” she says, though there’s no ‘woe is me’ about her. She’s straight talking, pragmatic and clearly tough. Her grief is sad, but very matter of fact. “Raising kids alone is incredibly hard. It’s just me. Yes, I have my ‘village’ – my mum, my friends, but I’m essentially doing this alone. I don’t have a choice. So I get on with it.”
It’s clear that loneliness is a big factor in Kelsey’s day-to-day life. She says herself that she hates the quiet evenings when the kids have gone to bed and she’d love to have someone to talk to and be with. But since splitting from her boyfriend, Sean Boggans, last October, she’s not actively looking for love again anytime soon.
“I just can’t cope with how much it’s all changed,” she says of the dating scene. “Everything’s so different from when I was 19. I was with Tom for 13 years and never really dated anyone else. I’ve certainly never been on any apps. I met Sean through a friend, that happened organically, so dating apps are alien to me. I haven’t got the time to sit there and swipe. Plus, I’ve heard so many horror stories from my friends, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”
