Tom Parker's memoir reveals that he stopped singing for months after suffering rejection on The X Factor. The Wanted star died in March, aged 33, after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour in 2020.
The singer, who was husband to Kelsey and dad to their two children Aurelia, two, and Bhodi, one, was writing a book before his tragic death and announced the book's impending release just over a week before his passing. He shared alongside a clip to promote the book: "Hi, I’m Tom Parker, a lot of you know me as one fifth of The Wanted, but I am also a father, a husband, and a son, that’s battling brain cancer.
"My book, coming this July, is not about dying: It's a book about living. It's a book about finding hope in whatever situation you're dealt, and living your best life no matter what. It will show you how having faith in hope and daring to dream means you can carry on, against all odds. Pre order your copy now."
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The autobiography, titled Hope: My Inspirational Life, by Tom Parker, is now being released in his memory after he was laid to rest in a celebration of life on April 20.
In one extract, which has been published by The Sun, Tom recalls how he auditioned for Simon Cowell's ITV show The X Factor at the age of 16 before becoming a member of The Wanted. "I got the train over to Manchester for the audition and joined the massive queue of other hopefuls waiting on a drizzly morning for their chance to shine in front of the judges," he wrote.
"Sadly, I wouldn’t even make it that far. At the time I was devastated. My only saving grace was that they hadn’t recorded my rejection. It was a huge knock to my confidence and I stopped singing for about six months."
Tom, from Bolton, shot to fame as part of The Wanted with the release of their first single, All Time Low, which hit the top spot in the charts in 2010. The group - which also included Max George, Nathan Sykes, Siva Kaneswaran, and Jay McGuinness - went on to become known for other hits including Glad You Came, Chasing The Sun and Gold Forever. They also recently released a greatest hits album, entitled Most Wanted – The Greatest Hits.
In his memoir Tom also revealed how he suffered at the hands of bullies as a child as he was called names due to his height as well as "Saj after the kid from the film East Is East," thanks to the parka he wore back then. "I literally wasn’t called Tom throughout the whole of my time at school," he wrote.
He shared how he tried to be accepted by popular children, but "learned the hard way that the key to a more fulfilling lifestyle is to just be yourself". Tom went on: "The final straw came when my backpack full of GCSE work was stolen in Year 11, and it took me a week to get it back. By the time I discovered my notes all over the muddy cricket pitch, none of it was readable anymore."
But it was his ordeal that soon lead him to music, with the help of his brother. He taught himself how to play Wonderwall by Oasis as he shared: "That song kick-started my whole interest in music."
