The Wanted Singer Tom Parker, 32, Reveals He Has an Inoperable Brain Tumor
Tom Parker, one of the members of the chart-topping British boy band The Wanted, has been [...]
Tom Parker, one of the members of the chart-topping British boy band The Wanted, has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. The 32-year-old singer, who announced earlier this year that he and his wife are expecting their second child together, shared the tragic news on Instagram, telling fans that he was "still in shock" after being told he had a stage 4 glioblastoma six weeks ago and is currently undergoing treatment.
In a joint statement alongside his wife, Kelsey Hardwick, Parker said, "we are all absolutely devastated but we are gonna fight this all the way." He explained that he and his wife chose to announce the diagnosis "after a lot of thought" and that rather than fans feeling "sadness" for the couple, "we just want love and positivity and together we will raise awareness of this terrible disease and look for all available treatment options." Acknowledging that "it's gonna be a tough battle," the couple said that "with everyone's love and support we are going to beat this."
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In an interview with Britain's OK! Magazine, Parker said that he was diagnosed after he suffered a seizure in July. Explaining that he "didn't feel right," Parker went to the hospital, where he was eventually put on a waiting list for an MRI scan. Six weeks later, while he and his family were vacationing in Norwich, Parker suffered another seizure. Just days later, doctors discovered that Parker had an inoperable brain tumor, which he called "the worst-case scenario."
The average survival time for patients with a grade four glioblastoma ranges from three months to 18 months, though Parker and his wife explained that they did not ask for a prognosis, with Hardwick stating, "we're not thinking like that." Parker has since started treatment, which includes "back-to-back chemotherapy and radiotherapy for six weeks" in an effort to "control" the tumor.
Parker rose to fame in the early 2010s as part of boy band The Wanted. The band, which split up in 2014 to pursue solo projects, enjoyed a number of hit singles, including "All Time Low" and "Glad You Came," both of which hit No. 1 in the UK. "Glad You Came" also reached No. 3 in the US Billboard charts, according to CNN. Since the band's split, The Guardian reports that Parker has played Danny Zuko in a touring production of Grease and even made the semi-finals of Celebrity Masterchef.