Kelsey Parker has shared a relationship update with her fans.
The TV star, 34, became a widow in March 2022 when her husband Tom Parker – best known as a member of The Wanted – succumbed to brain cancer aged just 33.
The Glad You Came singer also left behind their children Aurelia, four, and Bodhi, three.
Now, Kelsey, an occasional Loose Women panellist, has released an image of herself getting close to her new partner.
She was in great spirits as the pair embraced in an outdoor location, and Kelsey simply captioned the post with a heart emoji.
Kelsey Parker has shared a relationship update with her fans more than two years on from the tragic death of her husband Tom
Tom died from stage four glioblastoma brain cancer at the age of 33 on March 30, 2022, after he was given 12 months to live when he was diagnosed in October 2020
Kelsey did not share any specific details about her new man, but she received several supportive messages from her celebrity friends.
Vicky Pattinson – who recently tied the knot with Ercan Ramadan in her ‘dream’ wedding ceremony – wrote: ‘Never been happier for someone’.
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Giovanna Fletcher – who is married to McFly star Tom Fletcher – simply left a string of heart emojis to congratulate her pal.
And one fan acknowledged that it must be a ‘hard thing’ for Kelsey to do after everything she has been through in the last couple of years.
They wrote: ‘Must be the hardest thing after all you’ve been through posting this and inviting people in! You deserve all the happiness in the world .’
In November 2022, eight months after Tom’s death, she began dating electrician Sean Boggans – although they have since split.
The pair were introduced by friends at a wedding in London’s Greenwich last October, but split as the first anniversary of Tom’s death approached.
‘Kelsey and Sean split up around the anniversary of Tom’s death – her head was all over the place around that time and she had a wobble, but Sean still really liked her and pursued her,’ a source told The Sun.
Kelsey’s post was met with messages of support from her celebrity friends and her followers even waded in to send their congratulations
Tom was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma in October 2020 and after his passing, Kelsey, 33, confirmed the tragic news to everyone (pictured here with their two children)
Sharing an update to Instagram earlier in December. she admitted that while she was no longer with Sean, she hoped ‘to find love again one day’
‘After a few weeks of talking they got back together – she couldn’t ignore her feelings for him. It’s been really hard for them but she wants to give it a shot.’
Sean spent time behind bars after fatally punching Shaun McDermott, 44, during a heated argument over a taxi outside the Havering Oak pub in Romford, Essex.
He was waiting for his then-girlfriend to collect him when an argument broke out with Shaun, who was knocked to the ground during the skirmish. CCTV footage later captured the electrician walking away from the scene.
Shaun was discovered by police laying on the pavement at about 1am with a brain haemorrhage. A postmortem found that he died as a result of head injuries, with Boggans handed a four-year sentence by a judge at the Old Bailey.
Despite finally finding happiness again, Kelsey was inundated with vile messages about not ‘grieving properly’ despite finding it hard to cope.
Kelsey hit back at trolls as she told The Daily Star: ‘When you’ve lost someone you love so much, it proves to you that you’ve only got one life.
‘Tom would want me to be happy. You’ve got one life, so you should live it. That’s what he’s taught us.
‘When it comes to dating again… what’s it got to do with anyone else? I think whatever makes you happy in life, you’ve got to do it.’
‘There is so much stigma on how you should grieve. People think you should wear black with a veil over my face and be a walking widow. But that’s not the case. I’m still young and I’ve got kids to look after.
‘There is no rule book for grief out there and I’m saying to people: don’t worry about how you’re grieving because there is no right or wrong way to do it.
‘You could be smiling one minute and then deep in emotion the next minute. There is no wrong or right way.’
Kelsey previously said her late husband would be ‘happy’ if she found love again following his death.
In the third episode of her reality show Kelsey Parker: Life After Tom, Kelsey told how she thought Tom would give his blessing for her to find someone new, with the actress emphasising that she’s still ‘so young’.
The episode also saw the mother-of-two visit a widows’ group at a local pub, with the attendees being elderly women.
When asked if she thought Tom would be ‘happy’ to see her move on, Kelsey responded: ‘We didn’t really have those conversations but, knowing Tom, I feel like he would be happy for me.
‘He’d just want me to be happy. And I’m so young.’
‘But you feel guilt and blame. But I think it’s more because you want them to be here with you and to be enjoying life with you.’
While another widower said to her: ‘He would want you to live a full life.’
During the chat, Kelsey also asked another woman how long she’d been a widow, with the woman saying her husband died in 2003, before stating that she beats herself up for not making her husband go to the doctor sooner – but concluded that she can’t have regrets about it.
Kelsey agreed, saying of her own situation: ‘I can’t keep looking back being like what if this, what if that? Because I would spend my whole life blaming myself for things that I didn’t do and it’s out of my hands anyway.
‘But you feel guilt and blame. But I think it’s more because you want them to be here with you and to be enjoying life with you.’
The influencer, who’d been with Tom for 13 years, also admitted that she was ‘jealous’ of widows who had spent up to as much as 60 years with their husbands before their deaths.
However, after a heart-to-heart with the ladies, she came to the conclusion that losing a husband is devastating no matter what the age.
She said: ‘I don’t think there’s any age for it to be easier to lose a partner. Some of them had been together for 60 years. You lose that partner and I guess that must be absolutely heart-wrenching.
‘There’s never a good age to lose your partner, your best friend and the love of your life.’
Kelsey previously admitted she struggles with feelings of loneliness and guilt following the death of her husband of four years.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, she admitted she was ‘worried’ to film, Kelsey Parker: Life After Tom, but it ended up being ‘the best thing’ she could’ve done.
Tom was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma in October 2020, and was given just 12 months to live by doctors. He died in March 2022
She explained: ‘It was like therapy for me. I’ve done things in the show that I wouldn’t necessarily have done but it’s massively helped me. It’s pushed me out of my comfort zone.
‘I didn’t really understand what grief was. You can feel so many emotions at one time. There’s so many different elements.’
Kelsey revealed that one issue she faced was dealing with ‘a lot of guilt’, explaining: ‘I know that I did everything for Tom.
‘But even still there’s that guilt process. Guilty that I’m still here and I look at my kids and I’m guilty he’s not experiencing what I’m experiencing with them.’
Asked how she’s coping with ‘moving on with life’ following Tom’s death, Kelsey admitted it was hard figuring out what items of Tom to keep as they are constant reminders of the fact he’s no longer with them.
She reasoned: ‘The memories are here in my heart so getting rid of an object doesn’t really mean anything but you don’t know how hard it is. You don’t want to let go because you’re losing them even more.’
Kelsey and Tom were together for around 13 years. They announced their engagement in 2016 and married in a romantic ceremony in Surrey in 2018.
Tom was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma in October 2020, and was given just 12 months to live by doctors.
In September 2021, 11 months on from the diagnosis, Tom sang at the Stand Up 2 Cancer show at the Royal Albert Hall and even embarked on a Greatest Hits tour with his bandmates when the tumour was confirmed as ‘stable’ in November.
But a close family friend revealed today that Tom’s condition deteriorated rapidly once the tour came to an end earlier this year.
‘Tom loved touring – he was an absolute rockstar and determined to join the boys on stage. He was enjoying playing two songs a night and was doing well performing but it really took it out of him,’ the source told The Sun.
‘We all noticed how quickly Tom deteriorated during the tour but he had no regrets – he really wanted to do it.’
Confirming news of his death, Kelsey said: ‘It is with the heaviest of hearts that we confirm Tom passed away peacefully earlier today with all of his family by his side.
‘Our hearts are broken. Tom was the centre of our world and we can’t imagine life without his infectious smile and energetic presence.
‘We are truly thankful for the outpouring of love and support and ask that we all unite to ensure Tom’s light continues to shine for his beautiful children.’
She went on to thank everyone who has cared for Tom during his illness, adding that he fought the disease until the very end.
A statement posted on the band’s official Instagram account read: ‘The whole Wanted family are devastated by the tragic and premature loss of our bandmate Tom Parker, who passed away peacefully at lunchtime today surrounded by his family and his band mates.
‘Tom was an amazing husband to Kelsey, and father to Aurelia and Bodhi. He was our brother, words can’t express the loss and sadness we feel. Always and forever in our hearts.’
Kelsey and Tom were together for around 13 years. They announced their engagement in 2016 and married in a romantic ceremony in Surrey in 2018
A close family friend told The Sun that in his final moments, Tom asked to listen to the Oasis song ‘Live Forever’ along with his friends, family and fellow bandmates as he passed on.
Tom was given just 12 months to live when he was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma in 2020 at the age of 31.
Yet in October 2021, a year after he went public with his diagnosis, he was continuing to make public appearances and used his fame to advocate for more funding for brain tumour research, which only receives around one per cent of total cancer research funding.
Throughout his adult years Tom was instantly recognisable to many teenager and young people thanks to the success of his band.
The Wanted released their first album in October 2010, which reached number four in the UK Albums Chart and created three UK top 20 singles.
Their later singles released in 2012 helped the band find success across the pond in the United States and Canada, with their hit Glad You Came becoming the highest American chart entry by a British boy band at that time.