Tom Parker's widow Kelsey Parker explains why new boyfriend Sean is different

23 September 2023 , 17:00

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Kelsey says writing a book about her first year without Tom was like therapy

Kelsey Parker, the widow of tragic The Wanted star Tom Parker, has spoken for the first time about her feelings for boyfriend Sean
Boggans, declaring that he has been “incredible” as she rebuilds her life.

Kelsey, 33, lost Tom to a brain tumour last year and she says she was surprised a relationship developed with Sean as she had not been expecting it. But she said: “He brings me so much joy and laughter. Sean was a real new lease of life for me.” They began dating after meeting at a wedding in Greece.

Five months later, in March, Kelsey’s romance with Sean – who was jailed for four years in 2013 for fatally punching a man – was over. But their relationship was rekindled at another mutual friend’s wedding in Greenwich, South London, and they are now closer than ever.

Electrician Sean, 40, has bonded with her children Aurelia, four, and Bodhi, two, who she had with Tom. The kids have even confided in Sean about Tom, who died in March 2022, 15 months after his diagnosis with an inoperable brain tumour. Kelsey said: “We could sit there and talk about Tom, and Sean’s been incredible.

Kelsey and Tom in 2016 (PA)

Kelsey with Sean, who she met at a pal’s wedding (SplashNews.com)

“My friends and family have been amazing and I couldn’t have done this without them but there’s only so many times you can go, ‘Can you come over. I’m feeling really lonely.’ Sean will never replace Tom because Tom is irreplaceable to me but it’s having that person to talk to and share your day with.

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“I wasn’t looking for anything when we met and it came as a shock to me but we just genuinely got on and the relationship progressed. He’s such a good guy and it’s quite hard for him to walk into this situation, not a lot of men could do that and feel comfortable with it.

"He comes to my house and it’s full of Tom, he’s so present and the kids talk about him all the time. But Sean doesn’t shy away from that. After the kids met him, Aurelia said, ‘Daddy died of a brain tumour’ and he just replied, ‘I know, darling. We all miss your Daddy’. He’s another reassuring person for them, he’s a massive support.”

Kelsey reveals the emotional story of her first 12 months without Tom in her book, With and Without You. She said: “I’ve never had counselling or therapy, it’s never sat right with me. Writing this book was like therapy. Mum read it and said, ‘This is our life, what we lived through.’ I still can’t read it without getting emotional but it felt like the right time to write it.”

She said of Sean: “We’re taking things slow and enjoying each other’s company. Is he a good match for me? Definitely, he’s so funny – he brings so much joy and laughter to me, and that’s what I need. When I’m having a bad day he’s there for me, to help me process that.”

After Kelsey’s romance with Sean was made public, it emerged that he had been jailed after punching Shaun McDermott outside a pub in Romford, Essex, following a row over a taxi. Mr McDermott later died of his injuries. Kelsey said: “Everyone has a past and Sean has a lot of remorse for what happened. That’s his journey.

"Sean has kids now, his life has moved forward. It was the biggest mistake he’s made and he’s paid the price. Can I see a future with Sean? Who knows what the future holds. I’m living in the now and the present, and it’s going really well.” Kelsey echoes this in her book, writings: “Tom’s diagnosis to death might have been cruelly quick and everything over the last two years had been like a tornado but in more recent weeks and months, time had felt like it was standing still.

"I felt so ready to escape it all and Sean gave me the chance to do that but I wasn’t ready to admit I was seeing someone. I was conscious of what other people would think, how others would be hurt. Sean was fine not to put a label on what we had and that was important to me. I couldn’t rush into anything new. I didn’t need to look too far into the future. If Tom’s untimely and tragic death had taught me anything it was to live for every day.”

‘He was the first person to not treat me like a widow'

Here, in an exclusive extract from her moving autobiography, Kelsey Parker recalls first meeting Sean at a pal’s wedding in Greece and how he began to help her feel normal again...

I met Sean at the bar. “Oh my God, look at my cousin over there,” I said to him. She was so drunk and it was making us laugh. “Someone’s had a bit too much to drink,” he said to me. “Haven’t they just!” I said. “I’m Kelsey by the way,” I told him. “Sean,” he said. “I’m Sam’s cousin.” We hit it off straight away, we just got on really well, chatting.

It sounds silly but it felt like he was the first person not to treat me like a widow. I was due to fly back after the wedding to attend the NTAs, where Tom had been posthumously nominated for his documentary Inside My Head, but due to the Queen’s death the show had been pushed back, meaning I had an extra few days in Greece.

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I really do believe everything happens for a reason and on this occasion it gave me a bit more time to get to know Sean. I liked that Sean had no idea who I was or anything about Tom. It was a nice break, to be honest. I had spent months of people asking me how I was, and how much they missed Tom, and being with Sean gave me a bit of respite. As much as my heart was broken and I missed Tom, it was so hard to keep talking about him.

Sean was just a geezer who liked to go to the pub with his mates, the world of celebrity was totally lost on him. It wasn’t anything romantic at first, it started off as a friendship. I picked up a nice vibe from him. He made me feel very normal and like Kelsey again. A few weeks later, when we got back to England, we talked more and met up. I could feel things were becoming more romantic.

Sean and I had things in common, he was also a dad to two little ones and we were both no longer with our partners. Sean had been split from his wife for some time, I think we were both looking for someone to fill the void. I can’t say we began dating, because we didn’t. It wasn’t like we’d go on romantic walks or trips to the cinema, or have meals out. We would often find ourselves at home, cooking together and chilling watching TV.

Then he asked me if I wanted to go to a wedding with him in Greenwich. ‘I won’t know anyone,’ I told him. ‘It’s all the same lot from Greece,’ he said to me. We ended up going to the wedding together and we had a brilliant day. It felt good to be around new and different people who didn’t know my tragedy. I felt free and we had fun. I was momentarily escaping my reality and just being me again – a young woman having a good time at a wedding. It felt normal.”

* Kelsey Parker: With and Without You is out on Thursday, published by Mirror Books. Pre-order available now.

Laura Armstrong