Kelsey Parker, the busy entrepreneur, TV personality, podcast host and mum to Aurelia, five, and Bodhi, four, has touched so many lives with her strength and vulnerability. The 34 year old lost her husband, The Wanted's Tom Parker, to a brain tumour in March 2022, aged 33.
While the honest mum has openly shared her journey of grief through her social media and more recently, through her book, With And Without You, being a widow may have been part of her life, but it certainly was never going to define her.
A few years on, and the sun has definitely reappeared in her life in the form of Will Lindsay who she's been in a new relationship with since last September, but that's not all; just a few weeks ago Kelsey and Will announced they were expecting their first baby together.
We caught up with her to find out how she's navigating love after loss and this exciting new chapter of her life.
Pregnancy and new beginnings
Beaming about her third pregnancy, which she has described as a "happy accident," Kelsey is enjoying the experience, which has been very different from her previous two. "I'm really excited and am just hoping for a happy and healthy baby at the end of it." She laughs. "I had pre-eclampsia with Aurelia and then with Bodhi, Tom got diagnosed, so both of my last pregnancies have been quite traumatic."
Kelsey reveals that she found out she was pregnant on the day of the Pride of Britain Awards 2024 (now we know why she was glowing that evening!) and although she was shocked, Will really got emotional. "He cried," she says "but we were both so happy."
After the initial shock and morning sickness, Kelsey seems to be sailing through her pregnancy and explains that for her, the weeks are rolling into one. Baby number three is due in June (the same month as Aurelia's birthday) and while most mums would have got a list as long as their arm, Kelsey hasn't bought anything yet and is very relaxed about the whole thing. "I feel like my list will be really small. Sometimes you have all the gear, and you don't really need it, so I guess I'll wait until baby gets here. Having said that, she's sure about one item she'll need. "I think a Doona travel system will definitely be my first purchase because I'm going to be doing the school runs."
Parenting and family life
Juggling parenting, running a business, hosting her Podcast Mum's The Word! with Georgia Jones, and now pregnancy, you'd expect Kelsey to be a little overwhelmed but she says she loves being busy. "I feel like I thrive off it. My producer on my podcast asked me if I was taking maternity leave and I was like 'probably not.' I'll take the summer off and then I'll be back. I just love work and I always have."
Kelsey makes it all look and sound so easy, but perhaps that's partly due to the support she's found in Will, who she describes as 'amazing'. He has very quickly become a big part of the family and it's clear Kelsey is in awe of how he handles everything. "He has just fitted in with everything," Kelsey says, "putting the kids to bed and whatever else. He's so laid back and he can do it all - some men would be like, 'this is a lot, this is a lot of responsibility,' but he's like, 'Yeah, don't worry, Kels, I've got it.'"
This year will mark three years since Tom, Kelsey's partner for 13 years, passed away. She's been candid about her journey through the dark moments of grief but also celebrating Tom's life. She still posts pictures of him on her grid and helps organise an annual Father's Day charity football match to honour her late husband, and raise money and awareness for brain tumour research.
It's obvious that Tom is still a huge part of their life. "I say all the time, we talk about him every day in our house." Something that clearly hasn't fazed Will at all. Instead, it's actually helped him connect with the children as he also lost his father. "It's been nice for them to know that Will has experienced loss like them. It's normalised it." Kelsey says. Her late husband's memory will undoubtedly play a big part in their blended family, with Aurelia already suggesting naming the new baby 'Parker' if it's a boy.
Her Instagram followers have shared her highs and lows, shedding tears alongside her heartbreaking posts and beautiful reels honouring the love of her life, so it's been truly wonderful seeing her come through it on the other side.
She recently shared some heartwarming videos of the moment she told her family about her pregnancy, including Aurelia and Bodhi. "We sat them down and gave them the scan," Kelsey tells us. "But Bodhi, you could see by his face he was so shocked. Aurelia kept saying 'Mummy, is this actually true?' She was jumping on the sofa saying, 'this is the best day ever,' she laughs. "She's wanted me to have a baby literally since she could talk."
With this being Will's first baby, how does Kelsey think he'll manage as a first-time dad? "I feel like he's had to skip a few stages. I think he's going to have a shock when it comes to the newborn stage, but like I said, he's the most laid back person, he's probably not going to over think it. He'll just own it and he'll be a fantastic dad."
Life, love and the future
It was in January last year Kelsey decided to take off her wedding rings after much soul-searching and has spoken about it honestly, saying she wanted to focus on herself. It was later that same year, she met Will. She believes the timing was right for her. "I just feel like things align. I feel like I manifested Will, and Will arrived for me."
We can’t wait to see what Kelsey does next. For now, she’s looking forward to the new addition and remembering Tom on the anniversary of his passing in March with her growing family.
Keya Modessa, is our Senior Digital Writer and brings over a decade of experience from the digital realm to Mother&Baby. As a mother of two, Keya understands the joys and challenges of modern parenthood and uses her own experience, to give practical advice. Keya has worked across national publications including glossy women's mags, Food and Travel, and more recently as digital lead for Muddy Stilettos.