Kelsey Parker has candidly opened up about navigating new love and handling judgement after the tragic loss of her husband Tom Parker, who was a member of The Wanted.
Speaking on ITV’s Lorraine, she shared the bittersweet experience of dealing with online trolling alongside her happiness: “I’m just so happy but some people aren’t happy and it does upset me but like you said, ‘walk a day in my shoes’. Live my lived experience then you might have a different opinion.”
Kelsey went on to draw parallels between her life and that of Bridget Jones, a character who also faces the challenges of finding love after bereavement.
Compared to the fictional Bridget (portrayed by Renée Zellweger), who loses her husband Mark Darcey and finds herself as a single mum of two looking for love again, Kelsey related to the movie narrative: “Bridget talks about that in the film. Because they’ve lost their dad, I have given them all of me. I’ve been mum and dad to them. So they probably have a bit too much of mummy, but I’m compensating for them losing their dad.”
During her appearance, Kelsey also expressed excitement over her pregnancy, revealing that her children, five-year-old daughter Aurelia and four-year-old son Bodhi, are thrilled about welcoming a new sibling and highlighted: “It’s nice for them to have some joy and happiness.”
Kelsey opened up emotionally about the toll on her son Bodhi, saying, “Bodhi was 18 months when Tom died, it’s been a life of sadness for him. It’s a light at the end of our tunnel.”
The pregnant mum also expressed the positive impact of her new happiness: “It’s good for them to see me happy. Me being sad in bed not being able to get up, devastated at the loss of their dad, I’m now happy,” reports the Mirror.
Despite facing some criticism online, Kelsey revealed that Tom’s mother supports her search for joy, recounting sentiments from her mother-in-law on Lorraine’s show: “Noreen said as long as you’re happy, we’re happy, and she’s so excited to have a new grandchild.”
She also discussed the strong family connections maintained despite distance. “They’re up north, so it’s hard for us to see each other, but every Sunday we FaceTime or whenever anything happens. Aurelia recently won her school talent show, and straight away we went to FaceTime, the children have such a good relationship with their grandparents,” she disclosed.
Lorraine airs Mondays-Fridays at 9am on ITV1.