Kelsey Parker is pregnant! Star's baby joy with partner Will as she says Tom's 'given his blessing'
Kelsey Parker has exclusively revealed she is expecting her first child with boyfriend Will Lindsay, as she admits she 'can't live in sadness - Tom wouldn't want me to'. The happyl news comes three years after the heartbreaking death of her husband Tom Parker. The Wanted singer Tom died of brain cancer at 33, leaving Kelsey to solo parent their two children together, Aurelia, now five, and Bodhi, four.
But in this exclusive chat at their South East London home, Kelsey and her new partner reveal excitedly that they’re set to become parents together – and Kelsey believes Tom has given them his “blessing”. The TV star, who runs a performing arts school, had previously opened up about wanting more children with Tom but tragically, that was not meant to be.
"Tom and I always said we wanted four – but life had other plans,” Kelsey says. “So yes, this is amazing but also bittersweet. The joys of finding out I’m pregnant and moving forward with my life, while thinking, ‘My life could have been so different.’ I’ve felt every emotion under the sun. I’m still getting my head around it but I’m so excited. And I know I’m putting myself out there, telling people. I just want everyone to be as happy as I am.”
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Kelsey and Will live in the second family home she shared with Tom. “Tom and I had a house before, which we had the kids and got married in. We moved into my current home in September 2021, and Tom only had eight months in this place, but I feel like he picked it for me. Will gradually moved in. There wasn’t a specific date, but he moved in when it felt right for all of us. Right now, we don’t have any plans to move elsewhere and we’ve made this our home.”
Kelsey is philosophical about how life has panned out. “For me, I feel like everything’s meant to be,” she says. “I’m just trying to find joy. I love my children – they’ve got me through the worst times. So I feel like I’ve been blessed with another. “If I dwelled on everything that’s happened, I wouldn’t be here. Tom was my soulmate. I’m still angry he’s gone. But I can’t live in sadness. Tom wouldn’t want that.”
Having previously admitted how lonely she was, Kelsey found love again last year quite by chance, meeting Kent-born Will, 27, on a night out and going public with their romance last September. Kelsey, who is due in June, describes her third pregnancy as a “happy accident” and opens up on the moment she and her partner saw the positive line on the pregnancy test. “It was October 21st, the day after Will’s birthday. He shares a birthday with Bodhi. I was shocked but so happy. Will cried his eyes out!”
Tree surgeon Will couldn’t be more chuffed. “I’m over the moon,” he says. “This is something I’ve wanted for a long time. I couldn’t be happier and I know Kelsey is going to be an amazing mum, as she already is.” Kelsey was “very sick” in her first trimester, but hid her symptoms from everyone as at first just she and Will, her kids and their respective families knew she was expecting.
Tearing up, she says telling her late husband Tom’s family was deeply emotional moment. “Tom’s mum Noreen gave me her blessing instantly. She can’t wait to have another grandchild. All I care about is that both our families and Tom’s family are happy. Noreen is the most amazing lady. After Tom passed, she said to me, ‘As long as you’re happy Kels, whatever you do, we will always support you and be happy for you.’ We’ve all been through so much together. But I’m here and bringing another baby into the world.”
Breaking the news to the children, she says, was a special moment. “We filmed it to keep. They were so happy. I think they’ll be amazing big siblings. Bodhi’s always been the baby though, so that might be hard for him at the start.” And Kelsey says Aurelia seemed to have a strange inkling of what was going on before they broke the news.
“I feel like Aurelia’s been in this world before. When I was eight weeks pregnant, she came up and started talking to a baby in my tummy. Will and I just looked at each other in disbelief. She’s said she wants the baby to be called Parker if it’s a boy. Both of them had been going on and on for ages about wanting a brother or sister. When Will came along, they were like, ‘Can you have a baby now?’ They’re so funny.”
Kelsey and Will don’t have a preference on the sex of their first baby together, but whether they find out before their arrival is another question. They have the results of the gender waiting for them on an email. “But we haven’t opened it yet,” says Kelsey. “We’re undecided on whether we’re going to look at it yet. We’re just going to see how the journey goes.”
Their beautiful home is perfect for the new arrival and the couple are laid-back when it comes to decorating. “There’s a nursery room, but for the moment the baby will be in with Will and I. We wouldn’t rule out the baby sharing with either Aurelia or Bodhi when they’re older. We’re just going with the flow and enjoying every moment of it.”
As for her hopes for the birth, Kelsey confesses that her last two were “so traumatic”, her dream is a calm, tranquil home birth. Suffering from preeclampsia with her daughter Aurelia, Kelsey was “quite poorly” during her first labour. Bodhi’s birth was heartbreakingly difficult in a different way – as doting dad Tom was diagnosed with brain cancer when she was at 35 weeks.
“Bodhi broke his own waters three weeks after that. It was so traumatic. It was during Covid and they didn’t really want the dads in. It was such a weird experience, topped off by the stress of my husband having a brain tumour and undergoing treatment. I wasn’t eating,” she says. “With Bodhi, we were on a timer. We’d better get this baby out today, Tom, because you’ve got to have your radiotherapy treatment tomorrow. As births go, so far, they’ve been horrendous. I’ve been praying to Tom to send me a good birth. I think I deserve it.”
Kelsey feels like Tom, who passed away in March 2022, 18 months after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour, has been sending her signs during her pregnancy, to show he’s watching over her. “I’m very spiritual and so is Will,” she says. “Especially after he lost his dad, he believes in signs from loved ones, like me – and I’ve had so many from Tom. Will’s seen them too – he doesn’t think I’m crazy.”
On Christmas Day, Kelsey recalls that Will was busy building a toy with the kids, nowhere near the fireplace, when a candle suddenly flew off it, crashing to the floor. She adds, “Tom does lights and TVs a lot, too. We’ve been in bed and at 1am the TV comes on by itself. So many things happen.”
Kelsey is convinced her romance with Will was “meant to be”. She met him on a night out when she least expected to, having met Tom at 19 in a nightclub. “Will and I are on the same page with spirituality,” she says. “I honestly think Tom must have brought Will to me. I wasn’t actively dating or on the apps, then Will appeared. I feel Tom’s presence. I do feel Tom guides me.”
As for Will, who unlike Kelsey has little experience of showbiz and even shuns social media, Kelsey is sure from what she’s seen that he’ll make an amazing dad. “Bodhi is a mummy’s boy, but now Will’s there, he’s diving on him, they have rough play… He’s brought that fatherly presence back into the house again. Will’s a massive Arsenal supporter, so now Bodhi’s bedsheets are all Arsenal. He’s still a Bolton fan, though!”
Quietly-spoken Will says he couldn’t feel more welcomed by Kelsey’s family. “I feel so at home, and I love having Aurelia and Bodhi in my life now. We just bonded so quickly, I felt like everything just happened naturally. “I want to help as much as possible and be involved. I take Bodhi to football or to the park on the weekend, and we love that. Kelsey has two gorgeous kids and I’m so lucky they’re both in my life now. It’s all just been pretty natural fitting in – nothing has felt forced, or rushed.”
Another man might have worried about having big boots to fill, integrating into Kelsey’s family, but Kelsey – who admits it was always her big worry about a future partner – maintains outdoor-loving Will’s not an overthinker, he just gets on with it. “No one has a bad word to say about Will,” she says.
“Everyone loves him. He’s got such nice energy, he’s calming for the kids. He plays with them but doesn’t get them hyped up. “It’s that backing for me, which I haven’t had in a while. I felt like I was doing everything. This is my problem, I think I’m superwoman but Will has helped me – and I’m not good at asking for help. I was so lonely. I’ve gone from lonely to a full house with another baby on the way!”
But Tom’s presence still looms large at home. “Will once said he never wants me to not talk about Tom. He talks about him and loves hearing stories about him. There’s a massive picture of Tom upstairs. He walked past it once, smiled at me and went, ‘Oh, he’s handsome though, isn’t he?” says Kelsey. Will adds, “Tom was a massive part of Kelsey’s life. They were together for over 13 years and had two beautiful children, so it’s normal to talk about him a lot. I think it would be weird if we didn’t.”
You won’t see Kelsey’s man at many showbiz events, however. “I love Kelsey so I’ll take that world on board and support her and the kids in whatever way I can,” he says. “I’ve been to a few events with Kelsey, like Westminster Abbey at Christmas for the royal carols and that was amazing, but you won’t find me getting in front of the camera much. I’m much happier on the sofa having a cuddle and watching a movie, or taking the kids to get an ice cream.”
Kelsey has faced her fair share of backlash over dating since Tom’s death and admits she’s preparing for more after her pregnancy news. “People will pass judgement on the colour of your nails,” she says. But she is all about chasing the joy. “I’m a joy seeker. People are so sad about what happened to me and the kids. I get it, but I can’t live in sadness. I have two young children who are happy. We’re trying to find joy in life. If you go down that path of darkness, what’s life all about?”
Asked if she and Will might tie the knot in future, now they’re expanding their blended family, Kelsey doesn’t give much away, adding that limelight-shy Will hates being the centre of attention. “I think all that attention would be Will’s worst nightmare. I’m like, ‘You’ve literally picked the worst person to spend your life with!’ But that’s why we work so well – he’s happy to sit back and be my cheerleader,” she says.
Kelsey wouldn’t be human if she didn’t have mixed emotions, but she clearly adores her new man. “I’m so lucky to have met Will. He’s an incredible person who loves me and my kids. I can’t wait for our future together.”
