‘I’m not paying attention to cancer,’ says Tom Parker of The Wanted

Tom Parker of The Wanted says that despite being diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour almost a year ago, he refuses to let cancer rule his life.

“It’s not that I’m ignoring cancer; it’s just that I don’t want to think about it,” he said.

“The more you pay attention to it, the more it dominates your life, and I don’t want it to consume my life.” I have children and a family. As a result, I attempt to ignore it as much as possible. “

Ed Sheeran, Sigrid, Liam Payne, and McFly will perform at the Royal Albert Hall, as well as The Wanted, who will make their debut performance in almost seven years.

“To be honest with you, that came out of nowhere,” remarked Parker, who had assumed the band would never return after announcing an “indefinite break” in 2014.

Initial plans for a reunion were made in 2020, but the pandemic and Parker’s cancer diagnosis put them on hold.

They will issue a greatest hits album and go on a 12-city UK tour in March after performing four songs at Monday’s charity performance.

To be honest, I’m a little terrified, but I’m also extremely eager, “Parker added. “We’ve spent some time together in the last several weeks, and the spark is still there.”

The 33-year-old rose to popularity as one-fifth of The Wanted in the early 2010s, with singles All Time Low and Glad You Came reaching number one.

He has played Danny Zuko in a touring version of Grease and reached the semi-finals of Celebrity Masterchef since they went on hiatus in 2014.

In 2018, he married actress Kelsey Hardwick. Aurelia and Bodhi, the couple’s two children, were born just weeks after Parker was diagnosed with cancer last October. He admitted to struggling with his weight after losing his appetite due to chemotherapy. In approximately three weeks, he shed roughly three-and-a-half stones, he recounted. “Trying to maintain the weight – since clearly you don’t have an appetite – was the most difficult aspect.”

Parker credited his wife’s support—“she’s a warrior”—and the compassion of fans and strangers with helping him get through the worst days.