'I SAW TOM AT HIS HAPPIEST AND SADLY AT HIS LOWEST'

OK!'S KIRSTY HATCHER HAD THE PLEASURE OF MEETING TOM PARKER MANY TIMES THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER. HERE SHE REFLECTS ON HER MEMORIES AND MOMENTS WITH THE INCREDIBLE MAN

- KIRSTY HATCHER

When someone passes away, you always hear people say how lovely the person was. But with Tom Parker, that really couldn't be more accurate. He had a heart of gold and lived life to the full with an infectious energy and cheeky personality to match.

He also possessed incredible strength and positivity. Despite his devastating diagnosis, he still managed to remain the joker everyone knew and loved. I experienced this when I visited him at his home and asked him how he was doing after he'd just been diagnosed with brain cancer. He told me with a laugh, "I've been better!" That was the thing with Tom - no matter what he was going through, he still remained positive and was a true inspiration.

As I sat down to write this tribute, The Wanted's number one hit Glad You Came started playing on the radio and sent shivers down my spine. The tears streamed down my face as I thought about the times I was lucky enough to be in Tom and his incredible wife Kelsey's company.

From attending their 2018 wedding at Ridge Farm in Surrey to breaking the news of Tom's terminal brain tumour diagnosis in 2020, I saw Tom at his happiest, and sadly at his lowest.

When I first met Tom and Kelsey over lunch to hear all about the plans for their wedding, the pair's love for one another couldn't have been clearer. Their excitement at becoming husband and wife was palpable, and they finished each other's sentences as they opened up about planning their big day. They really were the definition of soulmates.

They even told me how they knew they were going to get married from the moment they met back in 2009.

And when their wedding day finally arrived on 14 July 2018, it was of course filled with love and celebration, but, more importantly, it was a party from start to finish in true Tom and Kelsey style.