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Kelsey Parker has shared a heartfelt tribute to her late husband Tom as she marked World Cancer Day on Thursday.
The influencer, 35, tragically lost the singer when he died of glioblastoma in March 2022 aged 33. The couple had children Aurelia, five, and Bodhi, four, together.
Kelsey, who is now in a relationship with boyfriend Will Lindsay, spoke about the impact cancer has had on her and her family since Tom’s passing.
In a video, she said: ‘Today is World Cancer Day. For some people, that’s just a day on the calendar. For us, it’s a line in our life that split everything into before and after.
‘Before cancer, I was a wife and mum, busy with normal life, normal worries. After cancer, I understood how fragile everything really is.
‘Losing Tom to a brain tumour, didn’t just break my heart, it changed the way I saw the world forever. It’s love that has nowhere to go.
‘It’s learning how to carry someone with you, instead of beside you. It’s smiling for your kids when your chest feels so heavy.
‘It’s surviving days you never imagined you’d ever have to face. Here’s the part people don’t talk about enough: You can be grieving and still be grateful. You can be broken and still be brave.
‘You can lose someone and still choose to live. Cancer steals time, future, plans. It also wakes you up, it makes you hold your loved ones tighter.
‘I live now in a way that I didn’t before. I say the I love you’s, I take the trips. I hug longer. I don’t sweat the small stuff like I used to before because I know that tomorrow isn’t promised.
‘Please hear me when I say, you don’t move on from grief, you move forward with it. You grow around your pain. I’m still standing. Not because it hasn’t hurt, but because love is stronger than loss.’
Alongside the video, Kelsey penned a message for all those who are dealing with cancer.
She wrote: ‘It’s a reminder of love, loss, strength I didn’t know I had… and a life that changed forever when we lost Tom Parker to a brain tumour.
‘Grief doesn’t leave. You just learn how to carry it while still choosing to live, love and show up especially for the little eyes watching you.
‘Cancer takes so much… but it can’t take the love. That stays. Always.
‘Today I’m holding space for everyone in the fight, everyone in recovery, and everyone learning to survive after loss. I see you. I am you. Love louder. Hug tighter. Don’t wait for “one day.’
In June, Kelsey took to Instagram to share her heartbreaking news about her third child Phoenix, who died one week before his planned due date.
Breaking the news in a poem, she wrote: ‘The world grew quiet as you arrived, So loved, so longed for, yet not alive. Our precious boy, our angel light, Born with wings, took silent flight
‘We named you Phoenix, brave and bright. A soul of love, of warmth and light Though we never heard you cry, You’ll live in hearts that won’t ask why.
‘No breath you drew, no eyes to see, Still, you mean everything to me. You’ll journey with us, softly near, in every sigh, in every tear.
Taking to her Instagram stories: she added: ‘Before I receive an influx of lovely messages and heartfelt wishes, I wanted to just say that I truly appreciate everything you are all going to say and share.
‘But with the news being so raw, I would really like to ensure that we as a family are given space and time to process this devastating and earth-shattering news.
‘I love you all and thank you for your understanding and space. Love always, Kelsey, Will, and the Parker Family.’
Kelsey was left devastated after her husband Tom lost his battle with brain cancer, but found love again last year, meeting Kent tree surgeon Will on a night out and announcing their romance in September.
The podcaster later admitted to being targeted by online trolls for moving on with her new partner.
Speaking on ITV’s Lorraine, in their first joint interview together in March, she explained: ‘It’s been three years, this is Tom’s three-year anniversary of his death, and it’s almost like people want me to feel guilty for moving on.’
She added: ‘I’m always going to have guilt, but what’s so hard is that Tom’s not here anymore, so what do people want me to do?’,
‘Our house was full of so much sadness, but now it’s full of happiness. The kids deserve that more than anything.
‘They’ve been through so much, I feel like we are taking the steps forward to heal, but I just want other women to feel like it’s OK to move on, it’s not taking anything away from the love I had for Tom.’
If you have been affected by anything in this article, please contact The Lullaby Trust on 0808 8026868.
