Max George has revealed he still texts Tom Parker two months after he died as a way of dealing with his grief.
George and Parker were best friends after meeting as members of chart-topping boyband The Wanted until Parker died aged 33 on March 30 following a near two-year battle with stage 4 glioblastoma.
He delivered an emotional speech at Parker’s funeral and also acted as a pallbearer along with their other bandmates Jay McGuiness, Nathan Sykes and Siva Kaneswaran.
The Gold Forever singer laid bare the heartbreak of losing his friend during an appearance on This Morning on Thursday to promote Parker’s book Hope which was released posthumously earlier this month.
Speaking to This Morning hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary, he said: “I still think I’m 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 think I just find a bit of comfort in that. The worst bit is when I do it and I do it accidentally. Sometimes I go to do it and I’m like, ‘Oh no’.”
Talking about Parker’s book, he said: “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 [Hardwick], obviously.”
Hardwick was Parker’s wife with whom he shares children Aurelia, two, and Bodhi, one.
Asked by O’Leary how she is doing, George said: “Kelsey’s been awesome. She’s always been really strong, like Tom. They were literally two peas in a pod. 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.”
On agreeing to help promote Parker’s booked, he said: “I said a few months ago, ‘Anything you need, to help with the book’, but I didn’t know I would be sat here without Tom. When I got here, I was like ‘Oh man, I’m about to talk about Tom’s book.’”
