'We were like brothers': Siva Kaneswaran pays tribute to his The Wanted late bandmate Tom Parker with emotional Dancing On Ice skate while widow Kelsey sits in audience

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Siva Kaneswaran paid tribute to his late The Wanted bandmate and friend Tom Parker on Sunday night, as he dedicated his skate to him on Dancing On Ice.

Tom tragically passed away aged 33 last March following a brave battle with brain cancer, after being diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma in October 2020. 

Siva, 34, performed his skate in the semi-final to Tom's version of Gold Forever by The Wanted.

Speaking about his friend, he said: 'We were like brothers. You can't not be when you're in a band travelling the world.'

He recalled: 'In 2020 Tom got 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 The Wanted bandmate and friend Tom Parker on Sunday night, as he dedicated his skate to him on Dancing On Ice.

Tragic: Tom tragically passed away aged 33 last March following a brave battle with brain cancer , after being 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 right to the end. I never found the words to figure out how I feel about him not being around.

'It's really hard. 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 the hurt to do something positive. He used the brain cancer to raise so much awareness and that was the most inspiring thing I saw in my entire life.'

Each judge awarded Siva nine points, with the pop star saying after his performance: 'I'm so happy that I get to celebrate Tom, Tom's memory, and get 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 she wrote: 'Not sure what to say about this man. One of the kindest and loving people I know. 

'Since day 1 of Tom’s diagnosis he stepped up to support us and never stopped. Whilst some people cross the street to avoid me, he’s always been there.

'Siva & Tom were like brothers, and he will always be our family ❤️ (you’ll never get rid of me now).

'Me & the kids have been cheering him on since day 1 of @dancingonice and knew he was going to smash it!

Emotional: Siva, 34, performed his skate in the semi-final to Tom's version of Gold Forever by The Wanted.

Tribute: Speaking about his friend, he said: 'We were like brothers. You can't not be when you're in a band travelling the world'

Proud: Each judge awarded Siva nine points, with the pop star saying after his performance: 'I'm so happy that I get to celebrate Tom, Tom's memory, and get to show people who Tom was'

Kelsey wrote: 'Not sure what to say about this man. One of the kindest and loving people I know. Since 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 will be there supporting every step (or glide!). It’s going to be so special and I know Tom will be with us too.

'So please please let’s all get behind @sivaofficial and @klabera.ko Watch tonight on @itv and get voting!'

Siva previously said if he made it to the final, he hoped to do something special in memory of Tom by performing to one of their songs.

He also discussed how he plans to invite Tom's widow Kelsey and her 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 kids to see their dad on screen again.

'It’s about making more ­positive ­memories. For me, they are like my niece and nephew. You want to make good memories with them. I’d love to have them down to hear our song, maybe see their daddy on screen again,' he told The Mirror. 

Siva added Tom is his 'guiding light' that he turns to when times are tough and claims he always feels his presence.

And the singer recently admitted that he needed his friend more than ever after battling back from a viral chest infection to survive the skate-off last weekend on the ITV1 show.

Siva said: 'When I get into a tough situation, I'm really down, or I'm in a difficult spot, I’ll be like, "What would Tom do?". 'I get the answer I need. I use that as my guiding light.'

The interview comes before Siva claimed he is preparing for a new stage of grief as he and those closest to Tom prepare to mark the one-year anniversary of his death.

The star said: 'It’s wild to me that it’s been a year, 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 me, personally, I’ll light a candle and put more energy into raising awareness of brain tumours throughout March.'

And ahead of his Siva's first show with partner Klabera, Siva choked back tears and said: 'I guess I'm still grieving' before revealing his friend's 'courage' inspired him to participate in the ITV show.

In the candid confessional, he admitted: 'When I think about the past, I think about tom, last year Tom…' before emotionally breaking off.

Before adding: 'I guess I am still grieving. I witness his courage when he was fighting his illness, and it was so inspiring'.

As he spoke, a snap of him and his late pal was shown from their time together in the chart-topping band.