Tom Parker has revealed that he’s suffering with bad short term memory loss after having chemotherapy and radiotherapy amid his terminal brain tumour battle.
Speaking on Instagram Stories on Saturday, he explained that this can be a side effect of the treatments however he tried to stay upbeat joking that he’s able to recall ‘stupid’ things like the gifts he’s got for daughter Aurelia, two, for Christmas.
The Wanted singer, 32, also shared two candid snaps from when his baby son Bodhi was born after discussing his health, saying: ‘The love for your kids is indescribable.’
Update: Tom Parker has revealed that he’s suffering with bad short term memory loss after having chemotherapy and radiotherapy amid his terminal brain tumour battle
Speaking on Stories, Tom explained: ‘As some of you know, I have been through chemo and radio, haven’t I?
‘Which was pretty god-damn brutal, but some of the side effects from the chemo and radio are you get bad short term memory loss.’
The father-of-two then looked towards his wife Kelsey Harwick who was standing out of the camera frame and asked: ‘Mine [memory] was already bad, wasn’t it?’
Kelsey quickly replied with a laugh, saying: ‘It was horrendous already, so now I’m like… literally, it’s even worse!’
Candid: The star updated fans on his condition as he shared two candid snaps from when his son Bodhi was born in November
Tom then continued chatting, telling his fans: ‘But it’s the weirdest thing because, I’ll go to her [Kelsey], “What did I just do? What was I gonna say?”
‘But I can remember stuff like this [picks up a childrens’ toy] “What have we got? A Heart of Te Fiti [from Moana] for Christmas?” How do you remember that? Stupid.’
The singer appeared to be upbeat as he discussed the short term memory loss on Saturday and also shared glimpses into his home life with his two young children.
Tom also posted two snaps from when his son Bodhi was born in November to his grid during the day, with the doting dad cradling the newborn on his bare chest.
Staying positive: Chatting about his short term memory loss on Instagram Stories, Tom tried to keep things upbeat as he joked about being able to recall ‘stupid’ things such as what toys he’s got for his daughter Aurelia, two, for Christmas (right, with a toy Heart of Te Fiti necklace)
New addition: Tom looked every inch the doting dad as he cradled his youngest child in the sweet snaps
He captioned them: ‘When my boy arrived.! The love for your kids is indescribable.’
One close up image showed Tom looking down at his newborn while another showed him holding his son close as smiled for a snap.
It comes after Tom admitted it was ‘tough’ for him to watch The Real Full Monty On Ice on Tuesday night, amid his terminal brain tumour battle.
The star took part in the show two years ago and described how he felt watching it as a viewer while ‘fighting for my own life for my family’.
Hard: It comes after Tom admitted it was ‘tough’ for him to watch The Real Full Monty On Ice on Tuesday night, amid his terminal brain tumour battle (pictured in April)
The ITV show sees a group of celebrities strip off in a bid to raise awareness for cancer and how self-checks can help save lives.
Watching at home, Tom, who is having radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment for his inoperable brain tumour, took to Instagram following the show.
Sharing a throwback snap of himself on the programme, Tom wrote: ‘Tough watch for me tonight watching #TheRealFullMontyOnIce Little did I know, two years later, I’d be sat here fighting for my own life for my family.
Heartbreaking: The star took part in the show two years ago and described how he felt watching it as a viewer while ‘fighting for my own life for my family’
Health: Tom wrote: ‘Tough watch for me tonight watching #TheRealFullMontyOnIce Little did I know, two years later, I’d be sat here fighting for my own life for my family’
‘Life throws unexpected curve balls at you sometimes. It’s how we rise up and face them that’s important.
‘Fate whispers to the warrior. ‘You cannot withstand the storm’ and the warrior whispers back ‘I am the storm’.’
Tom’s wife Kelsey also shared her own sweet message. She posted: ‘Sat watching #therealfullMontyonice with my husband who I am in complete awe of everyday. He is so strong and brave, an absolute inspiration to me and our children.
‘Two years ago I sat in the audience beaming from ear to ear watching @tomparkerofficial perform. I can’t wait to watch you perform again when we get over this hiccup in life
Supportive: Tom’s wife Kelsey also shared her own sweet message. She posted: ‘Sat watching #therealfullMontyonice with my husband who I am in complete awe of everyday’
‘When life puts you in tough situations, don’t say ‘Why me?’ Say ‘ Try me!’.’
Two months ago Tom announced he has grade four glioblastoma, with the Bolton native undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment in a bid to prolong his life.
Life expectancy for this illness ranges from three months to 18 months after diagnosis, but the couple have not asked to hear Tom’s prognosis amid fears he would ‘sit and count down the days and not live his life’.
He wrote at the time: ‘Hey guys, you know that we’ve both been quiet on social media for a few weeks and it’s time to tell you why.
Daddy’s girl: Last week shared an adorable video with his 17-month-old daughter Aurelia as they danced to his new single on Instagram
‘There’s no easy way to say this but I’ve sadly been diagnosed with a Brain Tumour and I’m already undergoing treatment.
‘We decided, after a lot of thought, that rather than hiding away and trying to keep it a secret, we would do one interview where we could lay out all the details and let everyone know the facts in our own way.
‘We are all absolutely devastated but we are gonna fight this all the way. We don’t want your sadness, we just want love and positivity and together we will raise awareness of this terrible disease and look for all available treatment options.
‘It’s gonna be a tough battle but with everyone’s love and support we are going to beat this. Tom and Kelsey xxx.’
The couple welcomed their second child, son Bodhi in November. The couple also have a daughter Aurelia Rose, 17 months.
‘We are going to beat this’: ‘There’s no easy way to say this but I’ve sadly been diagnosed with a Brain Tumour and I’m already undergoing treatment’, Tom said in an emotional statement