Rev Richard Coles has been a much-loved TV personality over the years, and has instantly become a fan favourite after joining the I'm a Celebrity jungle as a latecomer alongside Maura Higgins. However, the star, who previously competed on Strictly Come Dancing, has a very difficult history having lost his partner David, aged 42, back in 2019.
Richard was in a relationship with his partner David Oldham, a fellow priest, since 2007, with the pair entering a civil partnership in 2010, where David took Richard's surname. David described himself as a "dilettante potter, designer, gardener & narrow boat enthusiast," and often shared updates on social media on his cooking skills. The pair lived in the village of Finedon.
Speaking about their relationship, he said: "I liked football. He liked Ugly Betty. I was allowed Match of the Day but he wanted two Ugly Betties in return. I remember having a terrible row with him once because I wanted Train To Busan, which is a particularly gory South Korean zombie movie, and I had to give him Legally Blonde for the second week in a row in exchange."
Speaking about their relationship, Richard said: "From the minute we met – boom! I never for a minute thought – no matter what happened – we would ever part."
In 2019, Richard announced the very said news that David had passed away, writing that "he had been ill for a while". However, he later confirmed that David had died as a result of alcoholic liver disease. Speaking to BBC Radio Northampton, he said: "People used to talk about the ‘demon drink’ which sounds like a rather melodramatic way to describe it, but it is like someone is seized by a demon and when David was at his worst he was really difficult and it was very tough."
Speaking to Radio Times, he added: "My husband David died of alcoholic liver disease just before Christmas 2019. He was 43, a clergyman, and a former A&E charge nurse. Not an obvious victim, you might think, of alcoholism, but he had been drinking excessively since his teenage years, as a palliative – alcohol is the most readily available anaesthetic in the world – and as a recreation."
He added to The Guardian: "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." He has written about his experiences in a memoir, The Madness of Grief: A Memoir of Love and Loss.
He has spoken very candidly about his grief, telling publication: "After David died, there was a woman at the hospital who had been widowed, too. She said, 'You're going to be mad, for a while. People will never be as nice to you again as they are now, so milk it for all you can.'"
"I've had to subtract David from the future and that has taken all the future with it. It’s a bit blank. I think: ‘What the [expletive] am I going to do? Play the accordion and go to bed at ten past six, I guess. Of course, it’s not the end of my life. But it feels like it’s over sometimes.
During the very sad time, the Strictly star spoke of further heartbreak after being forced to rehome three of their five pet dachshunds, as he was unable to care for all of them on his own. He said: "They went to good homes, but it was so hard. Seeing them go, with their little dog faces, was just horrible."
The aftermath of David's death was also made particularly difficult due to internet trolls, who the Reverend spoke frankly about - and reported to the police. Posting to X at the time, he wrote: "99.99999% loveliness from people and then a small but lively correspondence from Christians who wish me to know that D is in hell and I will follow.
"It’s like the Khmer Rouge suddenly popping up in a stream of condolence. A letter, courageously unsigned, begins: 'Dear Mr Coles, I can't begin to tell you how happy I am to hear of the death of your partner.'"
New beginnings
In 2023, Richard confirmed that he was in a relationship with War Horse actor Dickie Cant. Chatting on Lorraine, he revealed that they had met on a dating app, saying: "Best invention of civilisation. It was called Elite Singles which was a bit embarrassing because I wasn’t elite… The third person I met is the person I’m with now."
He continued: "I thought I was out of the game when David died. It was a bit like a polar bear emerging from hibernation and wanting to eat a seal."