Tom Parker’s widow Kelsey has shared a sweet video of her and her children going to see the late singer’s memoir Hope in a bookshop, while The Wanted has confirmed they will be taking a break from performing.
The Wanted star Tom died age 33 on March 30 following a battle with brain cancer after he was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma in October 2020, and was given just 12 months to live by doctors.
Since his tragic death, Tom’s memoir Hope was released posthumously, and it chronicles his life from an aspiring singer in Bolton to the final months of his cancer battle.
Heart-wrenching: Tom Parker’s widow Kelsey has shared a sweet video of her and her children Aurelia (pictured) and Bodhi going to see the late singer’s memoir Hope in a bookshop
And his widow Kelsey has taken their two children – daughter Aurelia, two, and 21-month-old son Bodhi – to see their late father’s inspirational book in a store.
She took to Instagram on Wednesday to share an emotional video showing the moment her children saw their father’s memoir sitting on a bookshelf.
In the heart-wrenching video, Kelsey walks up to the bookshop holding hands with her two children and points out Tom’s memoir, which sits on a shelf at the store’s entrance.
Her daughter Aurelia sweetly races over to the stand and points up at the book with a smile on her face, recognising her father on the cover.
Illness: The Wanted star (pictured in 2010 with his bandmates) died age 33 on March 30 after a battle with brain cancer and this month, his memoir Hope was released posthumously
Aurelia then grabs one of the books and holds it in a tight embrace before kissing the picture of Tom on the book, while Bodhi also carries a copy of the memoir.
Kelsey is also seen flipping through the book with her kids and pointing at pictures of them with their doting father in the photograph section of the memoir.
She then takes her children over the counter to buy copies of the book, and Aurelia is seen holding the book in both hands in the emotional video.
Alongside the poignant clip, Kelsey penned: ‘A special moment… very proud to take our babies to see Tom’s book in store. Rae’s face when she saw his.
Sweet: And his widow Kelsey has taken their two children – daughter Aurelia, two, and 21-month-old son Bodhi – to see their late father’s inspirational book in a store
Touching: In an emotional video, Aurelia points at her father’s book with a smile on her face before grabbing it and planting a kiss on the picture of Tom on the cover
‘Thank you so much’: Alongside the poignant clip, Kelsey penned: ‘A special moment… very proud to take our babies to see Tom’s book in store. Rae’s face when she saw his’
‘Tom so desperately wanted this to be a bestseller and I’m keeping everything crossed that becomes a reality this weekend.
‘Thank you so much for all your support and lovely comments. Every single purchase means the world to us.’
Elsewhere on Wednesday, The Wanted took to Instagram to confirm they would be cancelling their performance at Newcastle Racecourse in July as they need to ‘reflect’ after Tom’s death.
The group – made up of members Max George, Nathan Skyes, Jay McGuinness and Siva Kaneswaran – said it was ‘too soon’ for them to consider performing again without Tom.
Family: Kelsey is seen flipping through the book with her two children and pointing at pictures of them with their doting father in the photograph section of the memoir
In a statement, the band revealed: ‘After some reflection, and with a heavy heart, we can confirm that we will no longer be performing at the Live After Racing event scheduled to take place at Newcastle Racecourse on 23rd July.
‘It is just over two months since we lost Tom and as much as we love performing live, it is just far too soon for us to even think about being on stage again as The Wanted.
‘We are all still processing the events of the last few months and need to take this time out for reflection.
‘We are so sorry to let anyone down and thank you for your understanding and support. We will see you all soon x.’
Tragic: Tom died age 33 on March 30 after a battle with brain cancer after he was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma in October 2020, and was given just 12 months to live by doctors
Break: Elsewhere, The Wanted took to Instagram to confirm that they would be cancelling their performance at Newcastle Racecourse in July as they need to ‘reflect’ after Tom’s death
It comes after Tom’s bandmate Max detailed how he still texts his friend as he tries to process his passing.
Appearing on Tuesday’s This Morning, Max, 33, revealed he finds comfort in sending Tom’s phone photos from fans, but admitted he occasionally forgets the singer has died when he does message him.
He said: ‘I’m still trying to process it, I still text him actually. If I get pictures or stuff that fans have made with him in it or they send a nice message to do with Tom, I’ll WhatsApp it to him.
‘I just find a bit of comfort in that. The worst bit is when I’m not doing it and I do it accidentally. Sometimes I go to do it and I’m like, “Oh no”.’
Grief: The group – made up of members Max George, Nathan Skyes, Jay McGuinness and Siva Kaneswaran – said it was ‘too soon’ for them to consider performing again without Tom
Tom died on March 30 following a near two-year battle with stage 4 glioblastoma. He and wife Kelsey bravely shared every step of his cancer journey in a bid to raise funds and awareness for brain cancers.
Talking about Tom’s memoir Hope, Max revealed: ‘It’s a book that Tom did over the last 12 months of his life.
‘It goes from the very start, from his upbringing all the way to the end – the whole journey, how he had rough beginnings and his own troubles, but it’s a book about hope and it’s a book about triumph and obviously Tom had a lot of difficulties along the way, especially towards the end – the most difficult thing anyone could go through – and Kelsey, obviously.’
And on how Kelsey is doing, Max added: ‘Kelsey’s been awesome. She’s always been really strong, like Tom. They were literally two peas in a pod.
Heartbreak: It comes after Tom’s bandmate Max detailed how he still texts his friend as he tries to process his passing
Pals: Max, 33, revealed he finds comfort in sending Tom’s phone photos from fans, but admitted he occasionally forgets the singer has died when he does message him
‘She’s raising awareness for glioblastoma and cancer in general, she’s been great. We talk quite often, just check in, make sure she’s alright.’
Meanwhile, Kelsey earlier this month opened up about Tom’s tell-all memoir as she joined hosts Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty on BBC Breakfast.
Charlie asked Kelsey how she’s been doing, to which she replied: ‘That’s a hard question to answer but I’m doing okay. I’m really strong and getting through each day.
It’s really tough, obviously I’ve got two kids and we are actually a really happy house. My kids wake up laughing so I am.
Love: Meanwhile, Kelsey earlier this month opened up about Tom’s tell-all memoir as she joined hosts Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty on BBC Breakfast
‘Don’t get me wrong it is tough, it’s eight weeks since we lost him but I’m getting there each day.’
When discussing the book, Kelsey said: ‘Tom was this guy from Bolton that didn’t have a lot of training and then launched himself into this boyband and that in itself is amazing.
‘When he was diagnosed they told him this is it, it’s terminal stage four and I said Tom we’ve just got to get through this, we’ve got to be as positive as possible and draw on everything we can.’
‘We lived each day, we had hope and we had love and laughter.’
Support: Charlie asked Kelsey how she’s been doing, to which she replied: ‘That’s a hard question to answer but I’m doing okay. I’m really strong and getting through each day’
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