Tom Parker is ‘shocking’ doctors with his great response to treatment for terminal brain tumour

Max George has revealed that doctors are ‘shocked’ at how well his The Wanted bandmate Tom Parker is responding to treatment for his terminal brain tumour.

Brave musician Tom, 32, continues to battle terminal brain cancer after being diagnosed with a stage 4 glioblastoma in September 2020.

And Max, 32, has declared he’s ‘really proud’ of his close friend as he observes how well he’s handled his devastating diagnosis and subsequent treatment.

Fighting: Max George, left, has revealed that doctors are ‘shocked’ at how well his The Wanted bandmate Tom Parker, right, is responding to treatment for his terminal brain tumour

Speaking on the Dangerous Dinners podcast, Max said: ‘Tom’s got something called glioblastoma, which is quite an aggressive form of brain tumour, but he’s had his first bout of chemo and radio therapy, which he has responded to unbelievably.

‘Doctors were actually shocked by how well he’s responded – all of his tumours have been suppressed, so he’s in the best hands.

‘In himself, Tom… Nothing puts Tom down, nothing. When you talk to him it’s like everything’s normal, and he just wants that – he wants normality.

‘He’s just had his second child, so he’s got so much to focus on – he’s doing great, he’s doing really well.’

Brave: Courageous musician Tom, 32, continues to battle terminal brain cancer after being diagnosed with a stage 4 glioblastoma in September 2020

Brave: Courageous musician Tom, 32, continues to battle terminal brain cancer after being diagnosed with a stage 4 glioblastoma in September 2020 

The singer-turned-actor went on: ‘Tom will be fine, it’s a horrible thing to happen to anyone and I can’t think of anyone who deserves it less than Tom, but he’s dealing with it. And I’m really proud of him for how he’s dealing with it.’ 

He added: ‘We’re trying to bring more awareness to the science behind it, because there’s new treatments happening all the time with this.

‘So to an extent, it is right [that there’s no cure] but he’s reacting so well to treatment so hopefully something comes along and it can be cured – that’s the end goal.’

During the interview, Max recounted how he learned of Tom’s diagnosis when the brave star’s wife Kelsey, 31, called him while he was finishing shooting a film.  

Rise to fame: Tom and Max shot to fame together in The Wanted, alongside bandmates (L-R) Nathan Sykes, Jay McGuiness and Siva Kaneswaran. Pictured together in 2013

Rise to fame: Tom and Max shot to fame together in The Wanted, alongside bandmates (L-R) Nathan Sykes, Jay McGuiness and Siva Kaneswaran. Pictured together in 2013

He admitted: ‘It took me weeks to process but I just wanted to see him. Luckily, I only had two days left so within three days of finding out I was with him.

‘You just want to be there, I could not believe what I was being told but as soon as I saw him it’s like it changes; you’re here to help him and be there for him and keep his spirits up so he can get better.’

Last week, Tom took to Instagram to share an inspiring behind-the-scenes-photo from his fight against a brain tumour. 

Alongside a photo of him receiving treatment, the father-of-two wrote: ‘Another day of saving my life.’ 

This is Tom’s second round of lifesaving treatment after he received chemotherapy and radiotherapy last year. 

Fighter: Last week, Tom took to Instagram to share an inspiring behind-the-scenes-photo from his fight against a terminal brain tumour

Fighter: Last week, Tom took to Instagram to share an inspiring behind-the-scenes-photo from his fight against a terminal brain tumour

The singer took a break from the medication due to problems with his liver but is now back in hospital for his second round of chemotherapy.  

Speaking with inspiring optimism, Tom captioned a photo of him receiving treatment in the hospital: ‘Another day of saving my life.’ 

The musician has every motivation to keep fighting after doctors told him his tumour had responded well to chemotherapy and had ‘shrunk significantly’ in January. 

Glad You Came hitmaker Tim is a father-of-two to daughter Aurelia, 16 months, and son Bodhi, four months, and shares his young children with wife Kelsey.

Kelsey recently revealed the couple’s children are too young to understand ‘how ill their dad actually is’. 

'They don't really know how ill their dad actually is': The Glad You Came hitmaker is father to daughter Aurelia, 16 months, and son Bodhi, four months, with wife Kelsey Hardwick (pictured)

‘They don’t really know how ill their dad actually is’: The Glad You Came hitmaker is father to daughter Aurelia, 16 months, and son Bodhi, four months, with wife Kelsey Hardwick (pictured)

Speaking during an appearance on Loose Women earlier this month, she said: ‘I just think that they don’t really know that daddy is ill at the moment. 

‘When Tom goes off to treatment, he’s off or he’s going to work or wherever he’s going. 

‘So to them, they don’t really know how ill their dad actually is. They’re doing so well, the kids. We’re all doing really well.’

She continued: ‘We’ve only just started our second round [of chemotherapy], so we’ve had radio and chemo, we’ve had a bit of a break, because he had a bit of a dodgy liver, and now we’ve just started the second round of chemo.

'We were all just in tears when we got that news in January': Kelsey said they were all 'overwhelmed' to discover Tom's tumour had shrunk

‘We were all just in tears when we got that news in January’: Kelsey said they were all ‘overwhelmed’ to discover Tom’s tumour had shrunk 

‘The tumour has shrunk, we’ve had a significant reduction. We were all just in tears when we got that news in January. 

‘We just couldn’t believe it, that he’d had radio and chemo and he’s had a significant reduction after that. We were just all so overwhelmed.’ 

Tom updated fans on his progress in a lengthy post in January announcing a reduction in the size of his tumour. 

He wrote: ‘SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION These are the words I received today and I can’t stop saying them over and over again. 

‘I had an MRI scan on Tuesday and my results today were a significant reduction to the tumour and I am responding well to treatment. Everyday I’m keeping on the fight to shrink this b*****d! 

He continued: ‘I can’t thank our wonderful NHS enough. You’re all having a tough time out there but we appreciate the work you are all doing on the front line.’

‘To my amazing wife @being_kelsey who has literally been my rock. My babies – I fight for you every second of every day.

‘Friends, family and everyone on this journey with me- you have got me through my darkest days.

‘To everyone on here- your love, light and positivity have inspired me. Every message has not been unnoticed they have given me so much strength. This journey is a rollercoaster that’s for sure. Today is a f*****g good day.’  

'Everyday I'm keeping on the fight to shrink this b*****d': Tom has remained strong and upbeat throughout his fight against cancer (pictured this month with Kelsey)

‘Everyday I’m keeping on the fight to shrink this b*****d’: Tom has remained strong and upbeat throughout his fight against cancer (pictured this month with Kelsey)