Richard Coles opens up about grieving his late partner on I’m a Celebrity
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I’m a Celebrity contestant Reverend Richard Coles has shared his ongoing feelings of sorrow over the passing of his partner, Reverend David Coles.
During a heartfelt moment with former Strictly dancer Oti Mabuse on the episode of the ITV show that aired on Tuesday night (26 November), Coles, 62, expressed, “I really miss him... His absence has created a huge void in my life, and I’m trying to navigate my days in light of that loss.”
Coles, who used to be a priest in the Church of England, experienced the tragic loss of his civil partner, David, just days before Christmas in 2019. David passed away at the age of 43 due to liver disease that stemmed from his struggle with alcohol addiction.
In his 2021 memoir, The Madness of Grief: A Memoir of Love and Loss, Coles expressed how incredibly difficult it was to watch someone he cared about suffer and self-destruct.
"It's similar to watching someone struggle in water while you offer them a life preserver, but they refuse to grab hold of it."
"I explored every possible option to support him in quitting drinking. To his credit, he made an effort as well, but ultimately, it was just too overwhelming for him."
The former clergyman opened up about balancing his sexual identity and faith during Monday's episode of I'm a Celebrity.
Content creator GK Barry, who had previously discussed her own experiences with sexuality and coming out earlier in the series, posed a question to Coles: "Did you struggle with being gay while working in that profession?"
Coles admitted, “Not at all. I’ve never worried for even a second about whether God approved or not. As for what others think, I’m more than willing to debate that…”
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He mentioned his views on sexuality by saying, “I wasn’t the first person to feel this way. When I read texts from the early Church or from the Middle Ages, I often find myself thinking – that’s so gay.”
Coles and Barry have developed a surprising bond during their time in the camp. Barry opened up in the Bush Telegraph, saying, "When I arrived in this jungle, I had no idea who I would click with or form a connection with. If you had told me that I would end up getting along so well with a reverend, I would have never believed it. Yet here we are... I genuinely think he could be my favorite person in this place."
Before David passed away, Coles had claimed that they lived together but did not engage in a sexual relationship, in accordance with the Church of England's regulations that forbid clergy from having same-sex sexual encounters.
However, in an interview with The Times earlier in the year, Coles suggested that this wasn't correct, admitting that both he and David had been dishonest to maintain their roles within the Church.
When journalist Andrew Billen pointed out that it would have frustrated and disturbed him to fabricate details about his life, Richard responded, "That feeling doesn’t last long... At times, it felt like I was part of the Resistance and they were the enemy force."
"I may be exaggerating a bit, but what I sensed was that they didn’t have any ethical purpose, which made me feel like I had no moral duty towards them whatsoever."
"I'm not the only one who has felt the need to be dishonest for the sake of institutional reasons within the Church of England."
Coles had mentioned earlier that he and David, with whom he formed a civil partnership in 2010, intended to get married after they retired. However, since the Church of England does not allow same-sex marriage, doing so could have jeopardized their employment.
He stepped down from his position as vicar of Finedon in North Northamptonshire in 2022 because he felt the organization was marginalizing same-sex couples. He was also unhappy with what he referred to as its increasingly “conservative, aggressive, and fundamentalist” approach.
Since 2023, he has been dating the actor Richard Cant.
Coles first gained recognition in the 1980s as a member of the band the Communards, which scored three top 10 hits in the UK, one of which was “Don’t Leave Me This Way.”
Since that time, he has made appearances on several radio and television programs, such as BBC Radio 4's Saturday Live, QI, Would I Lie to You?, and Have I Got News for You.
