Tom Parker's widow Kelsey has spoken out for the first time since rumours she has embarked on a new romance.
The 32 year old is rumoured to have found love again with another man, but she has still been honouring her love with Tom by keeping her wedding ring on.
Kelsey recently admitted she was finding it 'tough' being on her own after Tom's death and is said to be in the early stages of a relationship with electrician Sean Boggans, 39.
And despite the fact that she is dating again following Tom's death in March, The Wanted star is never too far from her mind and has spoken about falling in love with him "really hard".
She said that she has heavily relied on Kate Ferdinand as someone to speak to about "moving on", and that the former TOWIE star has told her that she needs to do "what's right for [her]".
“I think if people had been through what I’ve been through over the past two years, I don’t know if they’d be smiling, because it’s been so tough. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone," Kelsey told The Sun.
Yet, Kelsey describes herself as "lucky" to have met her soulmate.
"I might have gone my whole life and never met the love of my life, but I did," she said. "What we did over the 13 years that we got to spend together, people don’t get to do that in their lifetime. We went to Buckingham Palace. We have the most outrageous stories that we shared together. And that’s why I can’t be sad, because I got to do that with him and share that with him."
Tom tragically died when he was just 33 years old, leaving Kelsey and their young children Bodhi, two, and three-year-old Aurelia behind.
"“It’s so shocking because Tom was so young," she said. "I think they try to put themselves in my position and think: ‘I don’t know how she’s actually coping.’
“I just want to talk to people and be normal and continue my life, but that’s harder for me when people don’t want to talk to me."
Kelsey admitted that she had found it difficult to grieve in public as she can be judged for the way she's dealing with his death.
She said: "You don’t want to be Debbie Downer. Obviously there are days that are really hard, but then there are days that are really good."
Opening up about her support network, she says that her family are a "big support" as well as friends such as Kate and Rio Ferdinand.
Rio's first wife Rebecca died from breast cancer aged just 34 in 2015.
"Kate was a really great person to speak to," she said. "I was talking to her about how I want to get rid of our bed, but I said to her: ‘How are people going to look at me for that?’ If I do want to move forward, I’ve got to take these steps.
“Kate said: ‘You’ve just got to not worry what anyone else thinks. You are the only person that gets into that bed, so you need to do what’s right for you.’"
