24 August 2023 , 22:22
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Kelsey Parker says daughter Aurelia is now comfortable discussing her dad Tom’s death and even uses it as a ‘mic drop’ moment.
The Wanted singer died in March 2022 following an 18-month fight with glioblastoma after he was diagnosed with an inoperable tumour back in October 2020. His widow 33, has been honest about her journey with grief and shares candid updates with her followers on Instagram.
Aurelia, three, and Bodhi, two, are still coming to terms with not having brave Tom around but Kelsey says there are light-hearted moments too as she discussed what her daughter have started telling people. She also explained how she broke the news to the children in a heartbreaking chat with Vicky Pattison.
Chatting on The Secret To podcast, on an episode titled The Secret To Dealing with Grief, she told Vicky all about how they are dealing with his death and said she was surprised by some of the things the little girl can come out with. Earlier this year, she organised the Tom Parker Celebrity Football Match to raise money for the Ahead of the Game Foundation, set up in his memory and has discussed what helps them cope.
"The one bit of advice I can give is just be honest," she told the reality star. "I just think that’s everything that you talk to your children about. I think honesty is the best policy. I just was really matter of fact and I said, “Your dad has died. He’s not coming back. And he’s now going to be with the angels and we’ve just got to get on with life.”’
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She went on: "Even at the weekend, Aurelia was saying to me, we were at a party. She likes to tell people, which I’m fine with. You tell everyone. She does it as a bit of a mic drop, like 'My dad’s dead' - and everyone’s like…...". Vicky then said to her guest: "So sorry mate, but kids are so savage, aren’t they!’"
Despite chemotherapy and 30 radiotherapy sessions, Tom died from incurable stage 4 cancer, with Kelsey at his side last year. Glioblastoma, the most lethal of all cancers for people under 40, has a typical life expectancy of three to six months. She explained to the Mirror recently that talking to friends and family helps her heal. “For me, it’s talking to people. If I’m having a bad day, I will talk about it. I talk to everyone – my mum is brilliant, and I’m lucky to have an amazing manager who is great to talk to.
“My life is never going to be the same. I’m not the same Kelsey I was three years ago and I am never going to be that person again," she said. “It has been really tough for me. I’ve just got to do anything that makes me happy – it’s about my happiness. Without a doubt, I approach life differently now. I take each day as it comes – we’re not guaranteed tomorrow."