I'm A Celebrity Reverend Richard Coles: Age, band The Communards, husband, partner & more

29 November 2024, 11:20 | Updated: 29 November 2024, 16:43

Reverend Richard Coles in the jungle and with his band The Communards — Reverend Richard Coles joined the I'm A Celebrity line up for 2024. Picture: ITV / Getty

By Abbie Reynolds

Reverend Richard Coles is busy taking on the I'm A Celebrity 2024 jungle but who is he? And was he in a band? Here's everything you need to know.

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I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! welcomed Reverend Richard Coles and Love Island star Maura Higgins as latecomers to the camp in 2024.

Joining celebs like Danny Jones, Tulisa, Barry McGuigan and GK Barry who have been in the camp since day one, Richard said ahead of the jungle: "I spent two years in a monastery so I know what it's like to be 24/7 with people.

"We got cake though, that made life a bit easier. I do love food. 500 calories a day, I mean I have 500 calories for elevenses so that's going to be interesting."

Jungle life is definitely a change for Richard, who is actually a lowkey 80s music band icon. Here's everything you need to know about him from his ex-husband, to his current partner and his incredible career.

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Reverend Richard Coles is in the jungle for 2024. Picture: Getty

Who is Reverend Richard Coles?

Reverend Richard Coles is a writer, presenter and priest who is on I'm A Celebrity 2024.

He rose to fame in the 80s as part of the pop duo The Communards with singer Jimmy Somerville. Later on in his career he has worked as a radio presenter and appeared on TV shows like Would I Lie to You? and Have I Got News for You.

Richard was also a contestant on Strictly Come Dance in 2017.

How old is Reverend Richard Coles?

Born in March 1962, Richard is 62 years old.

Was Reverend Richard Coles in the band The Communards?

Yes, The Communards was a popular pop duo in the 80s consisting of Richard Coles and Jimmy Somerville which formed in 1985.

The Communards went on to have three UK top 10 hits including 'Don't Leave Me This Way'. In 1988, after three years together, they split and Jimmy went on to have a solo career.

Richard Coles and Jimmy Somerville of The Communards, circa 1986. Picture: Getty

When did Reverend Richard Coles become a priest?

Richard Coles was ordained in 2005, eight years after he and Jimmy split the band The Communards up. In 1991, he went and studied theology at King's College London where he became a Roman Catholic before returning to the Church of England in 2001.

Richard began training for priesthood in West Yorkshire in 2003 and was chosen to be ordained two years later.

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Is Reverend Richard Coles married? Who is Reverend Richard Coles's husband?

He was in a Civil Partnership with fellow Church of England priest David Oldham who passed in 2019. They began seeing each other in 2007 and married in 2009, four years after the CofE allowed clergy to enter civil partnerships.

Richard has spoken about David's battle with alcoholism which led to liver disease, the cause of his death. Speaking to The Guardian in 2021, he said: "The great pathos about David, as an alcoholic, was that he was grimly determined to keep his drinking secret.

"But drinking is a thing that’s very difficult to keep secret. And he failed, spectacularly."

Richard also said he wished he had spent more time with his late husband, saying: "I wish I’d prioritised doing nothing with David more. Not seeing that as a holiday from things, but as the centre of things."

Who is Reverend Richard Coles' partner?

In 2023, Richard Coles started dating actor Dickie Cant, who he met on a dating website.

Speaking on Lorraine, Richard said: "I wanted to meet someone who had been around the block and wanted to share a life with someone. I thought I was out of the game when David died."