Tom Parker ’s widow Kelsey has opened up about how “people cross the road so they don’t have to talk to me” following the death of her husband.
The Wanted singer Tom tragically died when he was just 33 years old, leaving Kelsey and their young children Bodhi, two, and three-year-old Aurelia behind.
He died in March after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Kelsey, 32, is rumoured to have found love again with another man, but she has still been honouring her love with Tom by keeping her wedding ring on.
And she’s reflected on how Brits cope with grief as she spoke for the first time since rumours she has embarked on a new romance started swirling.
The mum-of-two revealed how people will cross the street so they don’t have to speak to her as they don’t understand how she’s coping.
Speaking to The Sun’s Fabulous Magazine, Kelsey said: “In the UK, we don’t talk about grief. We don’t talk about death. It’s a taboo subject.
“Even when I see people, they don’t really want to talk to me about it. Honestly, people cross the road so they don’t have to talk to me.
“It’s crazy. People don’t know what to say. It’s so shocking because Tom was so young. I think they try to put themselves in my position and think ‘I don’t know how she’s actually coping.’
“I just want to talk to people and be normal and continue my life, but that’s harder for me when people don’t want to talk to me.”
Kelsey is fronting a new six-part documentary series on ITVBe, Life After Tom, which she hopes will help to keep her late husband’s memory alive, while also encouraging people to talk openly about grief.
She said: “With the show, I wanted to open up and show people that you can grieve the way I’m grieving.”
Kelsey admitted that she had found it difficult to grieve in public as she can be judged for the way she's dealing with his death.
But she also opened up about her support network, she says that her family are a "big support" as well as friends such as Kate and Rio Ferdinand.
Rio's first wife Rebecca died from breast cancer aged just 34 in 2015.
"Kate was a really great person to speak to," she said. "I was talking to her about how I want to get rid of our bed, but I said to her: ‘How are people going to look at me for that?’ If I do want to move forward, I’ve got to take these steps.
“Kate said: ‘You’ve just got to not worry what anyone else thinks. You are the only person that gets into that bed, so you need to do what’s right for you.’"
