The Wanted's Tom Parker's wife Kelsey shares sweet tradition to help with grief

Over 35 celebrities will be travelling to Dorking Wanderers F.C. this Father’s Day (Sunday, June 16) to support Kelsey Parker, while playing in the second Tom Parker Charity Football Match.

Some big names are travelling from far and wide to make the event, which is being held in memory of The Wanted's Tom Parker two years on from his death. The singer was 33 when he died from a brain tumour back in March 2022.

Sunday's game will be hosted at Dorking Wanderers by Scott Thomas, featuring stars from Coronation Street, EastEnders, Gogglebox, Hollyoaks, The Apprentice, Married at First Sight, Fortune Hotel, Love Island, Made in Chelsea, TOWIE and a couple of former premiership footballers thrown in for good measure. Legendary Referee Mike Dean has also stepped forward to lend his services for the day as his daughter was a huge Wanted fan.

As the stars come together, they will raise money for Ahead of The Game charity, of which Kelsey is a patron. She said that the match wouldn’t be possible to go ahead without James Ryan, CEO of Grove Gallery who is "sponsoring the day once again providing an incredible day out for families".

Speaking to Express.co.uk, Kelsey, who was married to Tom since 2018 and shared two children with him, explained what the aims of the charity match were. She said: "To raise as much awareness as we possibly can because you don't understand how underfunded brain tumors are until you are in it.

"When you are in it, you're like, oh my god, it's so underfunded. When Tom got diagnosed we wanted a magic wand to make everything better.

"But the standard of care hasn't been changed in 30 years and the standard of care is literally chemo and radiotherapy. And their words were 'If that works, we might give him a bit more chemo'. That's it."

Speaking about the gruelling impact the cancer treatment had on Tom, Kelsey said: "It's absolutely horrendous. The time that I actually thought Tom was going to die was when he was on chemotherapy. It was absolutely horrendous."

Speaking of dealing with her grief for the last two years, the widower said: “It has been a terrible time, but you do just have to get on with it. Like when Tom was first diagnosed, we just had to get on with it. That’s it. I am learning to live in grief now, so it’s how I’m just going through and living.”

She added that she copes by throwing herself into work. She said: “I think, for me, my coping mechanism is work. I love work. I went back to work literally a month after Tom dying. I guess I’m a workaholic now. Ultimately, I have to provide for the children as well."

Kelsey had two children to Tom - Bodhi, who was born in 2020, and Aurelia, who was born in 2019. Speaking of what it's like to parent alone now, she said: “I am a solo carer. I’m mum, I’m dad. Even on Father’s Day, the kids have made cards but it’s me. I am both, I am the dad now as well.”

Kelsey admitted that the longer it has been since Tom has been gone, the harder it has been. She said: “This year has been a lot tougher, especially this Father’s Day because they [the children] are really aware and also they’ve just been so different. Like I’ve had to say something to them this year, which I haven’t had to do before. They are a lot more different this year.”

Kelsey admitted that Tom has two memorial benches, where she often takes the children to remember their dad, with one being in a secret location. They take a trip to each of the benches on any special occasions such as Tom’s birthday, the anniversary of his death and Father’s Day.

She said that their son, Bodhi, has even asked to visit the benches himself, as she shared: “Bodhi came out with his Father’s Day card and said ‘Mummy, can we go and take this to daddy’s bench?’ So that’s really our tradition for helping to keep Tom’s memory alive.”

Kelsey is adamant that the sun will be shining down on her and all of the celebrities showing their support on Sunday’s charity match. She said: “It will never be bad weather with Tom.”

She admitted that she believes in receiving ‘signs’ from her late husband, with him letting her know that he is still around in spirit. The mum said: “Sometimes I ask him questions, like I’m trying to make a massively important decision at the moment and I keep asking him like ‘Tom, am I doing the right thing?’”

The mum-of-two went on to add that she often meets people with similar stories to hers and Toms, who know what it is like to be impacted by a brain tumour. She said: “It must be Tom sending me the people so that I can help them. It’s like a support system.”