Tom Parker’s widow Kelsey reveals people crossed street to avoid her grief

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Tom Parker’s widow Kelsey has revealed people would cross the street to avoid her when she was recently bereaved.

Tom Parker died in March 2022 at the age of 33 after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour, leaving Kelsey, their daughter Aurelia, four, and son Bodhi, three.

Now The Wanted singer widow appeared on The One Show to report on bereavement lessons being given to children in schools. Kelsey shared with children she met in school how difficult the stigma of grief can be and she shared how she makes sure she talks openly with her children about their father all the time.

Kelsey opened up to a teenage boy she met in one school and told him: "I actually wanted to talk about Tom and celebrate Tom but people don't like talking about death."

What, how and why?

Kelsey appeared on The One Show to report on a new programme of bereavement lessons being introduced in schools, teaching children how important it is to talk about death and grief, and how to approach it.

She visited Blatchington Mill School in Hove where local charity Project Eileen has devised a series of lessons on grief for secondary schools. Forty schools have signed up to the project so far and there is a campaign to make them part of the national curriculum.

Kelsey, 33, told a teenage boy she met in the class who asked what her own experience was like: "My grief will remain the same. My grief won't get any bigger, it won't get any smaller, I am learning how to live with grief. I actually wanted to talk about Tom and celebrate Tom and share memories but people would cross the street to not talk to me. People don't like talking about death, they felt that they were going to say the wrong thing. That's why this lesson is so good."

Kelsey also admitted that the older her children get, the harder is is to answer their questions about their dad. She said: "It's been more than two years since Tom died. [His] death not only been tough on me its been so hard for my two young children, Aurelia and Bodhi.

"We talk about Tom all the time, we keep the memory of their dad alive in our house. But the questions are getting harder." She added: "Death and bereavement are subjects that we don't like to talk about. Often we're worried about saying the wrong thing, so we say nothing."

Since Tom's death Kelsey revealed at the beginning of this year that she has taken off her wedding ring and is open to finding love again. She told Lorraine: "I am married to Tom but not in this lifetime, he’s not here, he’s not here anymore is he? So I’m not actually married to anyone.

"I feel like I am a lot clearer this year and I need to focus on myself and my children and just moving forward... I had such an amazing relationship with Tom, I was 19 when I met him and we had such an amazing bond but I am 33, and I have two children."

What else happened on The One Show?

24 star Kiefer Sutherland and Line of Duty's Vicky McClure also appeared on the show as guests.

Designated Survivor star Sutherland - who will be touring the UK with his band in August - revealed he shared the Trigger Point star's love of Greggs sausage rolls.

He said: "I heard that that you did a wrap party with a van load of Greggs sausage rolls. When would I tour here, the band and the crew were mostly American and Canadian, and they discovered the sausage roll. And I think the only reason they toured with me for eight years is because I would come back and we would all go to Greggs. Greggs held us together for many a tour."

McClure exclaimed: "There's no snack like it. Nothing's come close. Makes everyone happy."

McClure stars in new TV drama Insomnia available on Paramount+ from Thursday 23 May. The 41-year-old actor revealed she has never suffered from insomnia, but she does sleep walk. She said: "Sleep talking - I sleep talk all the time, I'm an absolute chatterbox. I have slept walked before. I've got up and just put some clothes on and the got back into bed and Jonny [Owen her husband] is like 'What are you doing? I don't know, I'm asleep!"

The One Show host Alex Jones confessed: "I sleep laugh. I'll be asleep [laughs loudly] and my husband will be like what's that?! And I'm asleep. Bit weird Vicky. Very revealing I think!"

The One Show airs on BBC One at 7pm Monday to Friday.

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