Kelsey Parker has angrily responded to an online troll who urged her to "move on" from her late husband Tom Parker, the former The Wanted star who passed away from brain cancer in 2022 at the age of 33.
The 36-year-old mother of two, who has openly shared her grief journey on social media since Mr Parker's death four years ago, posted a video this week in which she spoke about feeling emotional around what would have been the singer's 37th birthday.
She described grief as not following a "straight line," noting that pain can resurface without warning, triggered by a particular song or a significant date.
Ms Parker's video was accompanied by a heartfelt caption, which read: "Healing isn’t linear.
"This week always brings a mix of emotions. Today would have been Tom’s birthday, and even after all this time, grief has a way of showing up when you least expect it.
"A song, a memory, a date on the calendar… and suddenly you’re right back in that moment. I used to think that meant I was going backwards. Now I know it just means I loved deeply.
"And love doesn’t end because someone is no longer here. If you’re missing someone today, please know you’re not failing. You’re not weak. You’re carrying love that has nowhere to go, and you’re still choosing to keep living, one day at a time."
Ms Parker continued: "Happy Heavenly Birthday, Tom. Forever loved. Forever missed."
She then encouraged her followers to "save this for the next hard day, and send it to someone who needs the reminder that healing isn’t about forgetting it’s about learning to carry love in a different way".
Shortly after uploading her reflections on healing, an anonymous user sent her a message demanding she "stop thinking" about Mr Parker.
The message, which Ms Parker posted on her Instagram Stories, referred to Mr Parker as her "ex-husband" and told her she needed to forget about him, arguing that her continued expressions of love were "such a kick in the teeth" to her current partner.
The troll wrote that she should focus on her new relationship and baby, adding: "Stop living in the past."
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Ms Parker was quick to respond to the critic on her Instagram Story.
"Tom wasn't my ex-husband. He was my husband, and he died. There is a huge difference," she wrote.
She went on to insist that loving somebody who has passed away does not simply cease when a new relationship begins, and that grief is not something a person can "switch off."
The influencer stressed that her partner Will Lindsay fully grasps her experience of loss, pointing to his own bereavement, his father died when Mr Lindsay was just 21.
"I would never expect him to stop talking about his dad, and he would never expect me to stop talking about Tom," she said.
"My past, my present and my future can all exist together. They're not mutually exclusive."
Her message made clear that building a new life with her new partner does not require erasing the one she shared with Mr Parker; rather, she has learnt to carry her grief alongside the happiness she continues to create.
Ms Parker and Mr Parker first met during a night out in London in 2009 and were married for four years before his death.
He had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer two years prior to his passing.
In September 2024, Ms Parker publicly revealed her relationship with Mr Lindsay, saying at the time that she believed Mr Parker would eventually "send the right man" for her.
The couple endured a devastating loss when their son Phoenix was stillborn.
Then, in May this year, Ms Parker announced she was expecting again, describing the baby as a gift from above.
"It feels like Tom and Phoenix have sent us another little gift from heaven — our little rainbow baby," she said.
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