Kelsey Parker has asked not to be judged as she opens up about her first relationship since the death of her husband Tom Parker.
The Wanted singer died aged 33 in March 2022 following an 18-month fight with glioblastoma after being diagnosed back in October 2020.
He left behind wife Kelsey and their two children, Aurelia, four, and two-year-old son Bodhi.
Tom and his family had documented his cancer battle and Kelsey has continued to keep fans updated as they navigate their grief and learning to live without him.
A big step that Kelsey has taken in recent months since losing her “soulmate” is opening her heart up to the possibility of love again, which has been met with a backlash online.
Appearing on Friday’s episode of Loose Women, Kelsey admitted to the panel, which included Kaye Adams, Sunetra Sarker, Nadia Sawalha and Jane Moore, that her relationship with new partner Sean Boggans was “hard” but that she’s “really happy”.
She explained: [“Our relationship’s] not plain sailing because it’s really hard, we’re trying a new relationship and I am grieving someone and it’s really, really hard for both of us but do you know what, I’m really, really happy and deserve a little bit of happiness.
“This is the thing, I wanted the fairytale with Tom. I wanted the fairytale happy ending but that didn’t happen for me so how now do I move forward with my life? I put Tom first, I put the children first. I just feel like now I need a bit of happiness.”
She also shared the reason she felt the need to address others ‘judgement’ online: “I just think that it was really tough for me at the weekend and I just wanted to say to people, ‘It’s ok for me to be happy and please don’t judge me because I’ve really been through it and I don’t need the judgement’.
“As long as my children are happy and my family are happy for me, Tom’s family are happy for me, that’s all that matters.”
Adding: “Also, just go and spend time with your family, get offline, and stop trolling people!”
