Emotional Rev Richard Coles opens up about late husband as I'm A ...

3 hours ago

The 62-year-old spoke about losing his partner David to alcoholism in 2019

Amanda Devlin, Assistant Showbiz Editor (Features)
Published: 22:01, 26 Nov 2024

AN emotional Reverend Richard Coles opened up about the loss of his late husband.

Rev Richard Coles - Figure 1
Photo The Irish Sun

The I'm A Celebrity star cried "I miss him" after a heart to heart with his campmate Oti Mabuse.

4

Rev Richard Coles opened up about losing his husbandCredit: Rex

4

Richard's husband Reverend David Coles died in 2019

4

Rev Coles had a heartfelt chat in the jungleCredit: Rex

4

The pair shared a hug after their emotional conversationCredit: Rex

The pair enjoyed a deep chat around the camp fire, which started with Oti sharing her story about prematurely giving birth to her baby daughter.

Rev Richard Coles - Figure 2
Photo The Irish Sun

Explaining that her baby - whose name she has kept secret - was placed in an incubator after birth.

As she couldn’t hold her she used her voice to connect with her, Oti explained: "For two months, every single day we’d sing church music. They find comfort in your voice.”

Richard then shared his own story about a baby born early.

READ MORE ON I'M A CELEB

“I remember going once to baptise a little boy, a premature boy, he was born very premature, he was only just alive", said Richard, who got choked up as he fought back tears.

Rev Richard Coles - Figure 3
Photo The Irish Sun

After being comforted by Oti who got up to give him a hug, Richard continued: “I just remember he was this tiny little pulse of life, and David [his then partner] got a pipette of water and we blessed it.

"We baptised him and he survived and now he’s a healthy young footballer, which is great!

"But I just felt so… it was such a precious thing.” 

Oti agreed adding: “They are, my daughter was really, really tiny when she was born. It’s hell. It’s hell to be in the hospital, to hear those sounds, to not see your baby’s eyes for a week, it’s hell to constantly look for advice from the doctors.” 

Rev Richard Coles - Figure 4
Photo The Irish Sun

Fighting back tears Oti said the worst thing for her was that “every night, you need to leave them, you need to leave your baby in someone else’s hands.”

The Sun's Jane Moore in touching heart to heart with Rev Richard Coles as they bond on I'm A Celebrity

Saying that she can’t wait for Richard to meet her, Oti asked: “Maybe you can say a prayer over her, I would really love that.” 

Richard admitted: “I’ve already said a prayer for her actually.” 

With tears in her eyes, Oti thanked Richard and gave him a big hug. 

Rev Richard Coles - Figure 5
Photo The Irish Sun

Richard went on to open up about the loss of his former partner, David.

I'm A Celeb 2024 - late entries

MAURA Higgins is a late entry to I'm A Celeb 2024. Yet who is joining her?

He confessed to Oti: “I miss him… He’s just left a massive hole in my life and I’m living my life around that loss.” 

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.

Rev Richard Coles - Figure 6
Photo The Irish Sun

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."

Rev Richard Coles - Figure 7
Photo The Irish Sun

How to vote for our Jane

ITV is logging all votes online at itv.com/vote or you can download the I’m A Celebrity app on your phone.

Every time Ant and Dec announce a new trial you can cast five votes.

Jane would love you to use all of them to get her another Bushtucker challenge.

Later this week, vote to SAVE Jane from eviction.

Read more
Similar news
This week's most popular news