Kelsey Parker’s newborn daughter River made her television debut on Good Morning Britain at just one week old, as her mother spoke about the “horrific” years her family has endured.
The 36-year-old welcomed River with her boyfriend, Will Lindsay, and announced the baby’s arrival last week. The couple’s daughter was born a year after the loss of their son Phoenix, who was stillborn at 39 weeks.
River’s arrival also comes four years after Kelsey’s husband, The Wanted star Tom Parker, died from a brain tumour aged 33. Kelsey and Tom had two children together, Aurelia, six, and Bodhi, four.
Asked by presenter Susanna Reid about the difficult period, Kelsey said: “Yeah, it’s been a real tough four, five years now for us. It’s been horrific, losing Phoenix last year and everything we went through, to now have River, who is our little hope.”
She added: “I think she’s given so many people out there hope.”
Kelsey said her pregnancy had been particularly challenging because of the trauma she experienced after Phoenix’s death. “From that experience, I have really bad PTSD,” she said, adding that the pregnancy with River was “really, really tough”.
“But everyone who follows me has shared so much love that I think they’ve got me through,” she told Reid and co-host Ed Balls.
Kelsey said Aurelia and Bodhi were “over the moon” to have a baby sister, but had also been anxious during the pregnancy and medical checks.
“They’ve gone through so much as children,” she said. “They lost their dad, they’ve lost their brother, even going in and out of the NHS and getting checked with River, they were on panic stations all the time like, ‘Mum, are you going to come back with the baby?’ So, she really has been the hope.”
Announcing River’s birth on Instagram, Kelsey wrote: “Welcome to the world, River. Our little bit of hope.” She announced her pregnancy in May, describing the baby as a “rainbow baby” sent by Tom and Phoenix.
Kelsey began dating tree surgeon Will in September 2024, two years after Tom’s death. She has previously said Tom’s parents, Noreen and Nigel, supported her decision to find happiness again.
She has also spoken about keeping Tom’s memory present for their children, saying: “For us at home, Tom is so alive in our house and we speak to him every day.”
Kelsey has said there is no set timetable for grief, explaining: “What I’ve learnt is there is no wrong or right way to grieve.” She added: “I never thought at the age of 32 with two young children that I would have been widowed.”
Earlier this month, she responded to a social media user who told her to stop thinking about Tom because she was in a new relationship. Kelsey wrote: “Tom wasn’t my ex-husband. He was my husband, and he died. There is a huge difference.”
She added: “Loving someone who has died doesn’t stop because you’re in a new relationship. Grief isn’t something you ‘move on’ from or switch off. You learn to carry it alongside the life you continue to build.”
