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There were worries that the stars on this season of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! were just too kind for their own good when it premiered earlier this month.
The vile politicians are nowhere to be seen. The blustery socialites? Families have generally been pleased throughout, thanks to Oti Mabuse’s charisma on the dance floor, Alan Halsall’s friendly acting style, and former boxer Barry McGuigan’s raw vulnerability.
Then comes Reverend Richard Coles, as if it could be any cheesier. Coles, the other half of the Communards with Jimmy Somerville, abandoned the realm of pop glory in his twenties and has reportedly spent a large portion of his adult life following a different career path: realm’s Nicest Man.
In addition to that endeavor, he was a broadcaster (most notably on BBC Radio 4’s Saturday Live) and an Anglican priest (he retired in 2022).
The 62-year-old’s latest entry into the murder mystery genre only served to enhance his already charming persona. Like fellow lovely person Richard Osman, Coles creates cozy fiction.
This season has made up for its lack of drama with some very heartwarming moments, many of them include Coles, who was especially noteworthy since he arrived late to the camp.
Consider the program on Tuesday, when he won over viewers with a straightforward response to a particular query.
Mabuse broke down in tears as she told the Rev about the “hell” of seeing her kid in the neonatal critical care unit after her daughter was born too soon.
Coles reassured her by sharing his own experience of using a pipette of water to baptize a newborn baby boy.
“He survived our baptism and is now a healthy young football player, which is fantastic,” the priest remarked.
But what really won over viewers to Coles was what happened next. He replied, “I’ve already said a prayer for her actually,” when Mabuse asked if he would offer up a prayer for her daughter.
Coles then spoke to the Strictly pro about his personal struggles, including the “massive hole” left by his boyfriend David.
Who passed away from liver illness brought on by his alcoholism a few days before Christmas in 2019. Of course, Coles has had a difficult few years.
In August, only a few months after his mother Elizabeth passed away, Coles lost both of his dachshunds, Daisy and Pongo, on the same day.
Coles said to Mabuse, “I miss him,” referring to David. Additionally, I want him to enter the room. I told him, “I thought you were dead,” but he replied, “No, I was just out shopping.”
In my dream, he entered the room holding a Co-op bag, as if he had gone shopping. He said, “Oh, I’m not staying, I met somebody else,” when I added, “It’s nice to see you, thanks for coming back.”
Coles often does this; even his most heartfelt confessions finish with a chuckle. As seen in his in-depth conversation on sexuality and the church with influencer GK Barry.
He reassured Barry, who, to add sentimentality, had just recently been out about her own coming out earlier in the series.
That “I’ve never given it a moment’s twinge of anxiety over whether God thought [being gay] was alright or not.”
Furthermore, I wasn’t the first. I sometimes find myself thinking, “So gay,” when I look at early church or medieval church texts.
Coles’ sense of humor is evident. The reverend deadpanned when asked what his biggest fear is: “Looking fat on TV.”)
Barry expressed the camp’s overwhelmingly positive sentiments about their new bunkmate later in the Bush Telegraph.
“I may not have known who I would get along with or be close to in this jungle when I arrived, and I would never have believed you if you told me that.
I would be getting along best with a reverend,” she added. However, I believe he may be my favorite person here.
For many of the celebs, it seems that the same might be true. Undoubtedly, Maura Higgins, a fellow fan favorite on Love Island, developed feelings for the former vicar when they were sent into the jungle together.
The two immediately got into amusing antics involving lying and duplicity, two things the Rev is very skilled at.
One individual on X (Twitter) aptly summarized the general sentiment about the two by writing, “Every year there’s the friendship no one expected and this year it’s Maura Higgins and reverend Richard Coles.”
Coles finished his seven-month Borderline National Trinket tour in the United Kingdom earlier this year.
He could be leaving the forest as a true national treasure if things keep going the way they are. Coles has already completed a season of Strictly Come Dancing, so that’s half the fight.