Rev Richard Coles shares coming out story on I’m A Celebrity – and how he juggled being gay with his religion

REVEREND Richard Coles shared his coming out story in an emotional heart to heart with GK Barry on I’m A Celebrity.

Viewers were fascinated as the duo discussed how Richard Richard Coles, 62, juggled being gay with his religion.

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Speaking to GK about juggling his sexuality and religion, GK asked Rev Richard: “Did you find it quite difficult being gay and doing that job?” 

Richard 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 brought the campmates closer together – as they both reflected on their new friendship.

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.

“But, he is honestly… I think he might be my favourite person in here.” 

GK told Richard she used to be religious, and spoke about going to a religious camp when she was younger.

She told how there were men there telling her not to have sex before she was married. 

She said that even at 13, she thought: “Well, that’s not gonna happen.”

Then the topic of conversation moved along to GK asking Richard who the most interesting person that he thinks he’s met. Richard replied: “I think I’m looking at her.”

Richard and his late partner Rev David Coles, a Church of England vicar, had been together for 12 years and were in a a civil partnership.

In 2019, his husband sadly passed away.

There was limited detail about his death until two years later when the I’m A Celebrity star revealed David had died from alcoholism.

In an extract from his book The Madness Of Grief: A Memoir Of Love And Loss, Richard, said: “It was really, really tough to see somebody you love destroy himself.

“It is like someone is drowning and you throw them a lifebelt but they are just not taking the lifebelt.

“And I did try everything I could think of to help him stop drinking, and in fairness to him he did try too, but it was too much for him.”

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I’m A Celebrity continues on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX.