Tom Parker has this morning publicly revealed the devastating news that he has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour.
The Bolton-born 32-year-old – who is one fifth of the boyband The Wanted, married to his wife Kelsey, a father to a 15-month-old daughter Aurelia, and has another baby on the way – took to social media this morning to share the diagnosis.
He then took himself to A&E, where he was put on a waiting list for an MRI scan, and then just over a month later, he suffered another, more serious seizure and was rushed to hospital, where he discovered he had Stage 4 Glioblastoma.
He has started radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment in an effort to prolong his life.
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In a post to Instagram this morning, Tom said: “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.
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“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.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGO5ydNp_NG/
Tom has said that the diagnosis is the “worst case scenario”.
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Life expectancy on average for such an illness ranges from three months to 18 months after diagnosis.
“I knew something wasn’t right, but I never expected it to be this.” Tom said.
“You never think this will happen to you. Kelsey couldn’t come in [to the hospital] because of COVID. They pulled the curtain around my bed and said, “It’s a brain tumour.” All I could think was, “F*cking hell!” I was in shock. It’s Stage 4 Glioblastoma and they’ve said its terminal.
“It was a lot to deal with by myself – I still haven’t processed it.”
Tom and Kelsey have both stated that they are remaining positive and are looking for alternative therapies in the hope of a miracle.
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Tom has said that he “doesn’t want sadness” and instead is in need of “everyone’s love and positivity” and stressed that there are “so many stories of people who were given a bad prognosis and are still here five, 10, even 15 years later”.
He added: “We’re going to fight this all the way.”
From everyone here at The Manc, our thoughts are with Tom and his family.
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Nathan Aspinall clinches fourth European title despite ‘homesick’ confession
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester-born and raised darts player Nathan Aspinall clinched another European trophy over the bank holiday weekend, despite a very honest and vulnerable admission about the pressures of the professional circuit.
The Stockport darting star managed an 8-5 victory over Dutchman Danny Noppert in the final of the German Darts Grand Prix, making it his fourth PDC Euro title.
Having claimed a trio of them in 2025, Aspinall‘s prolific presence on the continent only continues to grow, but truth be told, it’s far from his favourite part of the lifestyle.
Speaking ahead of the final – and following multiple delays in transit – he said: “I don’t want to travel — I just want to be at home with my family at the moment.”
ASPINALL WINS THE TITLE IN MUNICH 🐍
What a finish to win the final 🔥
Nathan Aspinall takes out a classy 128 checkout to claim the Elten Safety Shoes German Darts Grand Prix with an 8-5 triumph over Danny Noppert 🙌#ET4pic.twitter.com/v4xHljyr46
Prior to the match against the world no. 11, ‘The Asp’ confessed to DartsNews that he feels “very flat” at present, adding, “I’m not enjoying playing darts at the moment.”
After also wrestling with passport queues and airports misplacing luggage before he could even make it to the tournament in Germany in the first place, it’s been far from a smooth EU Tour for him so far
The 34-year-old and his wife, Kirsty, have two children, Brooke and Milly Mai, with Aspinall writing on an Instagram story: “should have spent Easter with the kids.”
Nevertheless, the local lad mustered up the motivation – noting that the on-stage buzz definitely helps – to make his way into the final and finish with a not-too-shabby 128 checkout.
Having been “working on things in the background” and even walking out to his new entrance song (‘Lose Yourself by Eminem), we’re hoping he’ll soon be fully snapped out of his funk and back to enjoying the sport.
Thankfully, it seems like the result has definitely helped go some way towards that, with his reaction in the post-match pressers suggesting an upturn in both confidence and mood.
Speaking after the win, he went on to add: “I’m trying to find that love for the game again and Munich, you’ve given] me the love again. I enjoyed my darts today!”
Featured Images — Sandro Halank (via Wikimedia Commons)
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One of the world’s tiniest antelopes has been born at Chester Zoo and it’s no bigger than a tin of beans
Emily Sergeant
One of the world’s tiniest antelopes has been born at Chester Zoo, and she’s barely taller than a tin of baked beans.
The little Kirk’s dik-dik fawn – who zookeepers have decided to name Dotty – was born weighing just a few hundred grams, and even when she’s fully grown, she won’t be a great deal bigger either, as it’s predicted she’ll reach just 40cm tall, making her one of the smallest antelopes on the planet.
Dotty was born back in mid-February, and she has now begun taking her first steps.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Kirk’s dik-dik, it’s a species often found in the scrublands and mountainous regions of Kenya, Tanzania, and Namibia in Africa.
They take their name from the sharp, high-pitched ‘dik-dik’ alarm call they make when startled and as they dart for cover.
These adorable little creatures use their elongated, flexible noses to pluck leaves directly from branches – a unique feature found only in dik-diks – and they mark their territory using scent glands beneath their eyes and between their toes.
In what carers at Chester Zoo are describing as a ‘heartwarming twist’, little Dotty is actually being raised with the help of a surrogate father.
This is because Dotty’s biological dad passed away of old age shortly before her birth, and now a new male dik-dik named Dan – who arrived from a zoo in Cumbria in February – has gently stepped into the role alongside mum Chrissy.
This is Dotty the dik-dik – one of the world’s tiniest antelopes / Credit: Chester Zoo
“Dik-diks are naturally very shy animals, so for the first couple of weeks Chrissy’s tiny fawn has been tucked away in a quiet, cosy den, with mum popping back to feed and check on her,” explained Megan Carpenter, who is the Assistant Team Manager of Small Mammals at Chester Zoo.
“Now though, she’s beginning to find her feet and we’re seeing those lovely first steps as she heads out on her first little outdoor adventures.
“In a lovely addition to the story, we’ve also welcomed a new male dik-dik, Dan, as part of the European conservation breeding programme.
The Manc -
12th October 2020 
