Kelsey Parker, the widow of The Wanted singer Tom Parker, has given birth to a baby boy named River, announcing the arrival on Instagram. The birth follows the heartbreaking loss of her stillborn son, Phoenix, with her new partner Will.
Kelsey, who has two children with her late husband, shared a photograph of the baby's right arm alongside a sign bearing the name "River". In the post, she wrote: "Welcome to the world, River. Our little bit of hope."
Outpouring of congratulations
The podcaster and author received messages from numerous well-known figures, including The Saturdays singer Rochelle Humes, television presenter Susanna Reid, and reality TV star Holly Hagan-Blyth. Humes said: "Congratulations angel." Reid posted: "Oh my goodness – this is so wonderful – welcome River." Hagan-Blyth added: "I am so happy for you."
Previous stillbirth ordeal
Earlier this year, Kelsey spoke about her stillbirth on ITV's Good Morning Britain, which Reid presents. She recounted how Phoenix, her son with Will, was born at home at 39 weeks into her pregnancy. The labour lasted only minutes, meaning her midwife was unable to arrive in time.
Kelsey told the programme: "You could just see that he was no longer with us. Obviously, straight away we called the ambulance. They took nine minutes to come, and just when they arrived... the only way I can describe it, it was like I was in a film, and this wasn't real, and it wasn't happening to me."
She described how Phoenix was taken away and police informed her that her home was a "crime scene". The ordeal worsened as Phoenix was removed from her care and she was directed to attend the hospital maternity unit, where she waited amongst mothers and their newborn babies.
Police apology and new pregnancy
Police have since issued an apology to Parker, and she was told that the paramedics who attended her home had never previously encountered a stillborn baby. She revealed her most recent pregnancy in May through a video on Instagram, showing hands lifting from a table to uncover a baby scan image.
In that post, she said: "A year ago next month, we lost our beautiful baby boy, Phoenix. And somehow, through all the heartbreak, it feels like Tom and Phoenix have sent us another little gift from heaven, our little rainbow baby."
