The Wanted's Tom Parker becomes father for second time after brain tumour diagnosis
Getty ImagesThe Wanted's Tom Parker has become a father for the second time just weeks after revealing he has an inoperable brain tumour.
Bandmate Max George told ITV's Lorraine: "I spoke to him yesterday, he's doing good, he's doing great.
"Kelsey gave birth to their second child last week. He's a fighter, Tom, Tom will be alright."
Parker, 32, and his wife Kelsey Hardwick also have a 15-month-old daughter.
George, who is taking part in this year's Strictly Come Dancing, added: "If he's watching by the way, I love you all."
He also said it might give Tom "a laugh" to see him on Strictly every Saturday night.
George did not reveal the sex of the baby.
Parker said earlier this month that he was "still in shock" after being told he had a grade IV glioblastoma a few weeks earlier.
Speaking to OK! magazine, the singer said he would remain positive, despite being told the cancer was terminal. "I'm going to be here," he added. "I'm going to fight this."
What is glioblastoma?
- Glioblastoma is the most common type of brain tumour that starts in the brain
- It is the most aggressive form of adult brain tumour and is often resistant to treatment
- It is believed that the variety of cells in a glioblastoma is one of the reasons it is so hard to treat because current drugs are not able to effectively target all the cell types in the tumour
- As with most brain tumours, the cause of glioblastoma is not known
Source: The Brain Tumour Charity
The couple also posted a message on Instagram telling fans that Parker had begun chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment.
"We are gonna fight this all the way," they said. "We don't want your sadness, we just want love and positivity and together we will raise awareness of this terrible disease and look for all available treatment options."
Glioblastoma is the most aggressive of brain tumours in adults. Speaking to OK!, the couple said they had not asked about a timescale for how it is likely to develop.
"I said that for Tom's state of mind, and who he is as a person, that would not be good for him," said Hardwick. "He would literally sit here and count down the days and not live his life."
Parker added: "There are so many stories of people who were given a bad prognosis and are still here five, 10, even 15 years later. We're going to fight this all the way."
'Worst case scenario'
Parker told OK! that his wife was unable to be in the hospital with him when he was given the diagnosis, because of Covid-19 restrictions.
"They pulled the curtain around my bed and said 'It's a brain tumour...'
"I was in shock. It's stage four glioblastoma and they've said it's terminal. It was a lot to deal with by myself. I still haven't processed it."
Hardwick told OK!: "They rang me and told me over the phone. They said, 'it's a tumour and it's worst-case scenario'.
"They also told us it was inoperable and what the treatment would be. I was in a complete state."
The Wanted formed in 2009, with Parker, George, Siva Kaneswaran, Nathan Sykes and Jay McGuiness.
They reaching number one with the singles All Time Low and Glad You Came.
Since they went on hiatus in 2014, Parker has played Danny Zuko in a touring production of Grease, and made the semi-finals of Celebrity Masterchef. He also took part in Channel 4's The Jump.
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