Kelsey Parker has announced she is pregnant with her 'rainbow baby', nearly a year after the devastating loss of her third child, who was stillborn just a week before his due date. The influencer and author, widow of The Wanted star Tom Parker, is already mother to daughter Aurelia, six, and son Bodhi, four.
A Heartbreaking Journey
Last year, Kelsey revealed she was expecting her first child with tree surgeon Will Lindsay, but tragically lost their baby boy, whom they named Phoenix, in June. After the stillbirth, she wrote on Instagram that there was 'no preparing for this kind of heartbreak'. Now, in a heartwarming turn of events, she has shared the joyful news of her new pregnancy.
The Announcement
Kelsey announced the pregnancy with a touching video in which she, Will, and her young children removed their hands one by one to reveal the scan image underneath. She then placed a white feather on top, a nod to her late husband Tom Parker, as she had previously shared that a white feather fell from the sky when the singer died in a hospice.
'A year ago next month, we lost our beautiful baby boy, Phoenix,' Kelsey wrote in her caption. 'And somehow, through all the heartbreak, it feels like Tom and Phoenix have sent us another little gift from heaven our little rainbow baby.'
Outpouring of Support
Thousands of likes and congratulatory comments flooded in, with Good Morning Britain's Susanna Reid writing: 'Oh this is so amazing – all the love in the world congratulations.' Reality star Georgia Harrison said: 'Congratulations beautiful it's given me goose bumps.' Siva Kaneswaran, Parker's bandmate from The Wanted, added: 'Omg, This is incredible news. Congrats you Guys!'
Speaking About Stillbirth
Earlier this month, Kelsey appeared on GMB to speak candidly about her stillbirth. She recalled giving birth at home and immediately realizing 'he was no longer with us'. 'It has taken me a year to process what actually happened to us,' she admitted. 'Straight away we called the ambulance; they took nine minutes to come, and when they arrived – the only way I can describe it – was like I was in a film and it wasn't real and it wasn't happening to me.'
'Because they came in and they took him from me. I only ever got to hold Phoenix for nine minutes. That's the only time I got to hold him. They then called the police, the police arrived, and they said it was like a crime scene.'
Kelsey, who carried her son to 39 weeks, needed to be 'calmed down' by emergency services, with her other two children present. She expressed 'upset and anger' at how she was 'treated', having 'pleaded' not to go to the maternity ward where other babies were being delivered. 'I just wanted love and kindness, and I don't think that's a lot to actually ask.'
Support for Bereaved Parents
Sands UK charity supports everyone touched by pregnancy loss or the death of a baby. They offer many types of bereavement support, including a national helpline and a UK-wide network of local groups. The charity puts bereaved parents' experiences at the heart of research to better understand why babies die and how maternity care can be improved to save lives. Sands works to keep pregnancy and baby loss at the top of the political agenda across the UK.
Remembering Tom Parker
The Glad You Came hitmaker, whom Kelsey wed in 2018, was just 33 when he died. He had been diagnosed with glioblastoma, an inoperable and aggressive brain tumour, in October 2020. In November 2021, he announced his tumour was 'stable', but his health rapidly deteriorated, and he died from complications while receiving hospice care in London.
In the years since, Kelsey has been open about her grief and keeping her children's dad's memory alive, saying they speak about Parker 'every day'. Marking the four-year anniversary of his death in March, she wrote a tribute on social media: 'Words can't even explain how much I miss him. I wish we could have just one more day… To laugh, to sing, to gossip, to be together. To party together. To put the world to rights like we used to at ridiculous o'clock. To talk before bed… to be parents together.'
'I wish you had more time with your babies… Time that was taken far too soon. You only got two and a half years of being a Dad, and life just feels so unfair.' She described Aurelia as Parker's 'double' in 'so many ways', despite being only two when her dad died, while she called Bodhi, born just five months before Parker's death, 'the most beautiful, kindest soul'. Kelsey ended her tribute noting that the late star is 'up there looking after my baby boy', Phoenix.
