I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! is almost finished for another year, with a brand new king or queen of the jungle taking the crown. While GK Barry and Coleen Rooney are looking like fan favourites, Reverend Richard Coles has become an unlikely icon. But who exactly is his partner?
Who is Reverend Richard Coles?
62-year-old writer and presenter Richard used to be in a band called The Communards, who are most famous for their hit 'Don’t Leave Me This Way' which came out in 1986. He's also a former Church of England priest and the 59th Vicar of Finedon, Northamptonshire.
Until 2023, he co-hosted BBC Radio 4's Saturday Live programme, and is a regular contributor to Would I Like To You?, Have I Got News For You? and QI.
Who was Richard's partner David?
During his time in the jungle, Richard has been open about his relationship with husband David, who passed away from liver disease in December 2019 following a battle with alcoholism.
The pair met after one of Richard's services in 2010 and entered into a civil partnership in 2010. Nine years later, David passed away at the age of 43, something Richard has been open about.
"I often think if someone dies of drink as people used to say, that people filed them under a sort of tragic, squalid death," he said. "David was so much more than that. I wanted to get a sense of why David was so important to those who loved him before we got to a discussion of what killed him.”
Who is Richard's current partner Dickie?
Richard has also been open about his current relationship, telling fellow I'm A Celeb campmate Maura Higgins that he "didn't see it coming."
He's been dating 59-year-old actor Dickie Cant, who's been in Doctor Who and Mary Queen of Scots since 2022, with the pair meeting on a dating app.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Richard shared how he wasn't expecting to meet someone again, but that on their first date to the Royal Horticultural Society, they realised how much they had in common.
"I wanted to go on a website where I would meet someone who was not looking for a sugar daddy, who was my age, who lived in my sort of world, who I could share my life with," he explained.
Could we have a new king of the jungle on our hands? Guess we'll find out on Sunday!
I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! is on ITV1 every night.
