Siva Kaneswaran paid tribute to his late bandmate and friend from The Wanted, Tom Parker, on Sunday night, while dedicating his skateboard to him on Dancing On Ice.
Tom tragically passed away at the age of 33 last March following a courageous battle against brain cancer, after he was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma in October 2020.
Siva, 34, performed his skate in the semifinal of Tom’s version of The Wanted’s Gold Forever.
Speaking of his friend, he said: ‘We were like brothers. You can’t not be when you’re in a band that travels the world.
He recalled: ‘In 2020, Tom was diagnosed with brain cancer… When Tom was in hospice, he had a lot of family and friends around him.
Touching: Siva Kaneswaran paid tribute to his late bandmate and friend from The Wanted, Tom Parker, on Sunday night, while dedicating his skateboard to him on Dancing On Ice.
Tragic: Tom tragically passed away at the age of 33 last March following a courageous battle against brain cancer, after he was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma in October 2020.
Supportive: Tom’s wife Kelsey was in the audience for the performance and took to her Instagram to share a snap of her and Siva
We kept him laughing until the end. I never found the words to realize how I feel about him not being around.
‘It is very difficult. I miss him a lot. Tom sings the first line of the song, so it’s going to be really hard to hear his voice.
‘I learned from being around Tom to use pain to do something positive. He used brain cancer to raise so much awareness and that was the most inspiring thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life.
Each judge awarded Siva nine points, with the pop star saying after his performance: “I’m so happy to be able to celebrate Tom, the memory of Tom, and to be able to show people who Tom was.”
Tom’s wife Kelsey was in the audience for the performance and took to her Instagram to share a snap of her and Siva.
Captioning it, he wrote: ‘Not sure what to say about this man. One of the kindest and most loving people I know.
‘From day 1 of Tom’s diagnosis he stepped up to support us and never stopped. Although some people cross the street to avoid me, he has always been there.
‘Siva and Tom were like brothers, and he will always be our family ❤️ (now you’ll never get rid of me).
‘The kids and I have been cheering for him since day 1 of @dancingonice and we knew he was going to be a hit!
Emotional: Siva, 34, performed his skate in the semifinal of Tom’s version of The Wanted’s Gold Forever.
Tribute: Speaking of his friend, he said: ‘We were like brothers. You can’t not be when you’re in a band that travels the world’
Proud: Each judge awarded Siva nine points, with the pop star saying after his performance: “I’m so happy to be able to celebrate Tom, the memory of Tom and show people who Tom was.”
Kelsey wrote: ‘Not sure what to say about this man. One of the kindest and most loving people I know. From day 1 of Tom’s diagnosis, he stepped up to support us and never stopped.
“Tonight he’s dedicating his personal skate to Tom, and I’ll be there supporting him every step (or slide!). It’s going to be very special and I know Tom will be with us too.
‘So please support @sivaofficial and @klabera.ko Watch tonight on @itv and vote!’
iva previously he said that if he made it to the final, he hoped to do something special in memory of Tom by performing one of his songs.
He also talked about how he plans to invite Tom’s widow, Kelsey, and their two children.
Siva said: “If I can make it to the final, I’d love to do something special for Tom, maybe use one of our songs and invite Kelsey and the kids.”
Siva also touched on how special it would be for Tom’s children to see their father on screen again.
‘It’s about creating more positive memories. To me, they are like my niece and my nephew. You want to make good memories with them. I’d love to invite them to listen to our song, maybe see their dad on screen again,” she said. Mirror.
Siva added that Tom is her “guiding light” that she turns to when times are tough, stating that she always feels his presence.
And the singer recently admitted that he needed his friend more than ever after battling a viral chest infection to survive last weekend on the ITV1 show.
Siva said, ‘When I get into a difficult situation, I’m really depressed, or I’m in a difficult place, I’ll be like, ‘What would Tom do?’ ‘I have the answer I need. I use it as my guiding light.
The interview comes before Siva said he is preparing for a new stage of mourning as he and those closest to Tom prepare to mark the first anniversary of his death.
The star said: “It’s crazy to me that a year has passed, it feels like it was only a few months ago.” I’m still processing and grieving at times.
“As a band we haven’t discussed the anniversary yet, but I personally will be lighting a candle and putting more energy into brain tumor awareness throughout March.”
And ahead of Siva’s first show with his partner Klabera, Siva held back tears, saying, “I guess I’m still grieving” before revealing that his friend’s “courage” inspired him to take part in the ITV show.
In the candid confessional, he admitted, “When I think about the past, I think about Tom, last year, Tom…” before breaking off emotionally.
Before adding: ‘I guess I’m still grieving. I witness his bravery when he was fighting his illness, and he was very inspiring.’
As he spoke, a snapshot of him and his late friend from their time together in the chart-topping band was shown.