Tom Parker (singer)

Early life

Parker was born and raised in Bolton, Greater Manchester. He learned to play the guitar at the age of sixteen after trying out his older brother's guitar. He then went on to audition for The X Factor, but did not get past the first round. He went to Manchester Metropolitan University and studied Geography, but dropped out in pursuit of a professional singing career. Parker joined a Take That tribute band known as Take That II and toured Northern England, before joining the Wanted in 2009.

Career

Main article: The Wanted

In 2009, a mass audition was held by Jayne Collins to form a boy band, after successfully launching Parade and the Saturdays. Parker auditioned and was selected as one of five members, along with Nathan Sykes, Siva Kaneswaran, Max George, and Jay McGuiness out of the thousands of others who auditioned. The band was formed and together they worked on their debut album before finding a name for their band, the Wanted. Their debut single "All Time Low" was released on 25 July 2010, and debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart. They went on to have further hits with songs like "Heart Vacancy", "Glad You Came", "Chasing the Sun" and "I Found You". In 2013, in support of a crossover appeal to the American music market, the group starred in their own reality series on E!. The series, The Wanted Life, only aired for one season. The Wanted went on hiatus in January 2014, which lasted until September 2021. Parker, as a member of the band, has sold over 12 million records worldwide.

Parker was also an avid DJ, and collaborated with Richard Rawson on a track called "Fireflies", which was released in August 2014. In May 2015, he took part in the UK version of Celebrity MasterChef and was eliminated during the semi-finals of the competition. In October 2015, he released a solo single titled "Undiscovered" along with his own website and tour dates. In February 2016, it was confirmed that he was to replace Tina Hobley on the Channel 4 show The Jump after she fell on her arm and dislocated her elbow. He eventually finished third in the series.

In 2017, Parker was cast as Danny Zuko in the UK tour of the musical Grease. He put his wedding on hold for the tour.

Personal life

Parker had been dating actress Kelsey Hardwick since 2009. They got engaged at Chewton Glen on 16 March 2016, and married in 2018. Their daughter was born in July 2019 and their son was born in October 2020. They remained together until Parker’s death in March 2022.

In November 2022, Hardwick began a relationship with electrician Sean Boggans, who had previously spent time in prison for manslaughter after killing a man in 2013. The couple split in April 2023.

In September 2024, Hardwick announced she was in a relationship with tree surgeon Will Lindsay. In January 2025, Hardwick announced she was pregnant with Lindsay’s baby. Hardwick revealed that she felt Parker had given them (his) blessing and that her and Parker’s daughter, Aurelia, wanted the baby to be called Parker if it was a boy. In June 2025, Hardwick revealed she had suffered from a stillbirth of a baby boy one week before her due date, and that her and Lindsay had named him Phoenix.

Illness and death

On 12 October 2020, Parker announced that he had been diagnosed with an inoperable grade IV glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. He suffered a seizure in July and was put on the waiting list for an MRI scan, later suffering a seizure on a family trip. In January 2021, Parker posted to Instagram that his tumour had been "significantly reduced" and that he was continuing his treatment. In September, Parker held a special charity concert at the Royal Albert Hall, in aid of Stand Up to Cancer. The event was called "Inside My Head", and featured artists such as Becky Hill, McFly, Liam Payne, and the first performance with his Wanted bandmates since they announced their hiatus in 2014. On 3 November, Parker announced on Twitter that his brain tumour was stable: "had the results from my latest scan ... and I'm delighted to say it is stable."

Despite his previous claims of stability, Parker later experienced a sudden deterioration in his condition, and died of complications from glioblastoma at St Christopher's Hospice in Bromley, London, on 30 March 2022, at the age of 33. Tributes to Parker were paid by his Wanted bandmates: Max George said he was "heartbroken beyond words"; and Nathan Sykes stated that "[their] lives would never be the same" whilst Siva Kaneswaran said he was "grateful that [he] had a chance to witness [Parker's] true courage". Numerous other celebrities and public figures paid tribute. Additionally, an episode of Pointless Celebrities, which he and George had recorded the previous year, was brought forward in the schedules and was dedicated to him.

Parker's funeral took place at St Francis of Assisi Church in Petts Wood on 20 April. Following his death, his memoir Hope: My Inspirational Life was published on 26 May.

Discography

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

References

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2. Dibbits, Kat. (30 March 2011). "The Wanted have a scream at Manchester show". The Bolton News.
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7. ""As a five, we hadn't seen each other since our very last gig..." The Wanted talk coming back together and their new Greatest Hits collection".
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23. (28 July 2018). "The Wanted wedding! Boyband star Tom Parker marries Kelsey Hardwick – pictures". [[Manchester Evening News]].
24. The Wanted's Tom Parker Reveals Name of Baby No. 2 - E! Online (eonline.com)
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31. (2024-10-01). "Inside Kelsey Parker's new romance with tree surgeon two years after Tom's death".
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34. Oborn, Katie. (2025-01-27). "Kelsey Parker's daughter chooses baby name - with tribute to late dad Tom".
35. (2025-06-23). "Tom Parker’s Widow Kelsey Parker Shares Loss of Baby Boy With Will Lindsay".
36. McLoughlin, Lisa. (2025-06-23). "Kelsey Parker shares heartbreaking lesson before son was 'born sleeping'".
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42. "Tom Parker: The Wanted bandmate Max George pays tribute after 'best bud' dies at 33".
43. (30 March 2022). "Tom Parker Remembered As 'Lovely, Very Special Man', As The Wanted's Siva Leads Tributes To His 'Brother'".
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50. "Meet the male celebrities stripping off for The Real Full Monty Live 2018".
51. "Who are the women baring all for The Real Full Monty: Ladies' Night?".
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53. (24 May 2022). "NTA 2022 longlist revealed as David Tennant and Sex Education nominated". [[Radio Times]].