Tom Parker Has an Inoperable Brain Tumor — What to Know about the Singer and His Diagnosis

Singer Tom Parker, best known as one of the members of the British-Irish boy band The Wanted, was recently diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. He is only 32 years old.

Born in August 1988, in Bolton, England, Tom used to be a member of one of the most famous boy bands in the 2010s, The Wanted.

Next to Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness, and Nathan Skyes, Tom reached world star status thanks to the group's eponymous first album, released in October 2010.

TOM PARKER BEFORE JOINING THE WANTED

However, before making it big with The Wanted, Tom faced harsh rejection. During an interview with Metro in 2011, he admitted to auditioning for "The X Factor" when he was 16 years old.

Tom Parker sang "Flying Without Wings" by Westlife, which he later considered a "big mistake" because it is a typical boy band song.

Unfortunately, the person he sang for sent him home even before he finished the first chorus, and it "shattered" him in a way that made him quit singing for two years.

He had other career options in mind, though. Tom told Metro that he wanted to be a soccer player, but wasn't good enough.

Then, he wanted to become a pilot but wasn't "clever" enough. After that, he went to college for a year and studied geography, but "education" was not his thing, either.

He eventually gave music a second chance, and it was probably one of his best decisions ever, career-wise at least. In 2009, Tom, Max, Siva, Jay, and Nathan took over the music industry with The Wanted.

TOM PARKER'S CAREER AFTER THE WANTED

Together, they released three albums that reached the top of music charts in the UK and other parts of the world. Their most famous single, "Glad You Came," has over 190 million views on YouTube. Unfortunately, the band took an indefinite hiatus in January 2014.

Following the split, Tom Parker has kept himself busy by taking DJ gigs, competing in "Celebrity Masterchef" (he made it to the semifinals), and finishing third in "The Jump," another reality competition show.

In July 2018, four years after The Wanted's separation, Tom Parker and actress Kelsey Hardwick tied the knot in a lavish ceremony held at a farm in Surrey, England. About their relationship, Kelsey said:

"It was literally love at first sight. I saw him outside a nightclub in London, and I grabbed my friend and said: 'Oh my God, I love him.'"

TOM PARKER'S KIDS

The couple, who had been together for almost ten years before walking down the aisle, got engaged in 2016 with a proposal that Tom planned for three months.

On June 30, 2019, Tom Parker's wife gave birth to their first daughter, Aurelia Rose. Later, in May 2020, they announced that Kelsey is expecting their second kid, a boy.

The singer confessed that he was not prepared to become a father of two, as Aurelia has been "a whirlwind." The actress, on the other hand, pointed out that she wasn't shocked by the news and hoped they could enlarge their family even more.

They didn't ask for a prognosis for the sake of Tom's state of mind.

TOM PARKER'S BRAIN TUMOR

Unfortunately, Tom made headlines again in October 2020 after announcing that he had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, specifically, stage 4 glioblastoma.

Talking to Ok! Magazine, the singer said that although he knew something "wasn't right," he never expected it to be this bad.

In July, Tom suffered a seizure and was put on a waiting list for an MRI. Shortly after that, though, he was rushed to the hospital due to a second seizure. There, he spent three days getting some tests done, and doctors ultimately discovered the brain tumor.

Tom, who is getting radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment to prolong his life, pointed out that he was willing to fight glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive types of cancer in adults.

Kelsey Hardwick revealed that when she found out about her husband's cancer, she felt that "everything stopped," and all she could think of was, "what is going to happen?" and "what is our life now?"

The couple said that they didn't ask for a prognosis for the sake of Tom's state of mind. They also admitted that a man called Ben was diagnosed with the same kind of cancer 25 years ago and is still alive, so they are trying to stay positive.

The singer confessed that they have been looking for alternative treatments and that he has been doing yoga and reiki, which has helped him relax and take his mind off thoughts about cancer.

Finally, Tom Parker said that he needed everyone's love and positivity and that the goal of his treatment was to shrink and control the tumor.