Kelsey Parker has acknowledged that her recent relationship with Sean Boggans has faced challenges, as she found herself compelled to respond to cruel online trolls.

The 33-year-old mother of two publicly confirmed her new romantic involvement earlier this month, following the tragic passing of her husband, Tom, in March 2022 due to a brain tumor.

Appearing on Loose Women on Friday, Kelsey said she ‘deserves a little bit of happiness’ after Tom’s death, adding it’s been ‘really hard’ to navigate a new romance.

She said: ‘That’s not plain sailing either because it’s really hard, we’re trying a new relationship and I am grieving someone and it’s really, really hard for both of us but do you know what, I’m really, really happy and deserve a little bit of happiness.’

She added: ‘Life’s tough and you have to be resilient, I have been resilient and I feel like I need happiness now.’

Kelsey hit back at trolls after going Instagram official with her boyfriend on Sunday, saying: ‘Tom will always be the love of my life.’

The mother-of-two wrote on Instagram Stories: ‘For anyone who thinks my new relationship is in any way a reflection of how I felt about Tom, after reading today’s paper, pls (sic) know that is not the case.’

Addressing the backlash on the panel show, she said: ‘This is the thing, I wanted the fairytale with Tom. I wanted the fairytale happy ending but that didn’t happen for me so how now do I move forward with my life?

‘I put Tom first, I put the children first. I just feel like now I need a bit of happiness.’

‘As long as my children are happy and my family are happy for me, Tom’s family are happy for me, that’s all that matters.’