Reverend Coles has revealed the heartbreaking dreams he has had about his late husband who died after battling alcoholism.
During Tuesday’s episode of I’m A Celebrity, Richard opened up to dancer Oti Mabuse about life without his husband David Oldham – who died in 2019.
Richard, 62, has since met his new partner partner Dickie Cant, but admitted that David remains a ‘massive hole in his life’.
‘I miss him,’ Richard said. ‘And I want him to walk in the door. I had a dream he walked in the door and he was just carrying a Co-op bag, just like he’d been shopping and I said to him “I thought you were dead” and he said “No I was just out shopping”.
‘I said “It’s nice to see you, thanks for coming back” to which he said “Oh I’m not staying, I met somebody else”,’ Richard added, to which he and Oti began to laugh.
Reverend Coles has revealed the heartbreaking dreams he has had about his late husband who died after battling alcoholism during Tuesday’s episode of I’m A Celebrity
Richard opened up to dancer Oti Mabuse about life without his husband David Oldham – who died in 2019
‘But he’s just a massive hole in my life and I’m living my life around that loss and I’ve met Dickie now, and that’s great.
‘So we’re in a relationship now together but I just miss David very much.’
Richard got candid about his sexuality with newfound friend GK Barry during Monday night’s episode.
‘Did you find it quite difficult being gay and doing that job?’ GK asked Richard, to which he confessed: ‘No, not at all. I’ve never given it a moment’s twinge of anxiety over whether God thought it was alright or not. Whether other people thought it was alright or not, well I’m happy to have that argument…’
He added: ‘Also, I was not the first. Sometimes I look at documents from the early church, or the church of the middle ages and I just think – so gay.’
The conversation inspired GK to speak about why she turned away from religion as a child.
The TikTok star, 25, whose real name is Grace Keeling, told Richard she used to be religious, and spoke about going to a religious camp when she was younger, where there were men telling her not to have sex before she was married.
She said that even at 13, she thought: ‘Well, that’s not gonna happen. I see my future and it involves scissoring now.’
GK admitted in the Bush Telegraph: ‘I came into this jungle, maybe not knowing who I would gel with or who I would be close with in here and never in a million years if you told me that I would be getting on best with a reverend would I have believed you.
Richard was ordained in 2005 and met his future husband, fellow priest David Oldham. In 2010 they entered a civil partnership together but David tragically died in 2019 after battling alcoholism
‘I miss him,’ Richard said. ‘And I want him to walk in the door. I had a dream he walked in the door and he was just carrying a Co-op bag, just like he’d been shopping and I said to him “I thought you were dead” and he said “No I was just out shopping”‘
‘I said “It’s nice to see you, thanks for coming back” to which he said “Oh I’m not staying, I met somebody else”,’ Richard added, to which he and Oti began to laugh
‘But he’s just a massive hole in my life and I’m living my life around that loss and I’ve met Dickie now, and that’s great,’ Richard said
He added: ‘Also, I was not the first. Sometimes I look at documents from the early church, or the church of the middle ages and I just think – so gay
‘But, he is honestly… I think he might be my favourite person in here.’
During their chat, GK asked Richard who the most interesting person that he thinks he’s met. Richard replied: ‘I think I’m looking at her.’
Richard is now dating actor Dickie, 60, who is the son of Brian Cant, who presented children’s TV shows such as Playschool and Dappledown Farm in the 60s and 70s.
They met on the dating site Elite Singles and the pair hit it off straight away, with Coles suggesting that marriage could soon be on the cards, telling The Times he could ‘imagine it heading that way’.
The actor, from Kent, has starred in Mary Queen of Scots, Stan & Ollie and Doctor Who.
Richard opened up about how it feels to be a gay man involved in the church during Monday’s episode
The writer, presenter and priest, 62, got candid about his sexuality with newfound friend GK Barry during Monday night’s episode
But the decision to date again after David’s death was a very difficult one, and it took him three years to even consider it.
Dickie and Coles even had friends in common, telling the Telegraph that dating again felt like ‘a polar bear waking up from hibernation.’
The former Church of England priest is sometimes known as the ‘pop star vicar’ and appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2017.
