ITV I'm A Celeb star Reverend Richard Coles's famous partner after devastating loss of husband

Reverend Richard Coles moved I'm A Celebrity viewers to tears as he opened up about the loss of his husband. The 62-year-old entered into a civil partnership in 2010 with fellow priest David Oldham.

They were together until his tragic death in December 2019. David died from liver disease and Richard addressed his loss on the ITV show on Tuesday. He told his fellow I'm A Celeb campmates: “I miss him… He’s just left a massive hole in my life and I’m living my life around that loss.”

In his 2021 book, The Madness of Grief: A Memoir of Love and Loss, Richard wrote: “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.

Read more Tulisa Contostavlos's famous dad and 'incredibly tough' childhood

“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.”

Richard revealed last year that he had found love again following the heartbreaking loss. The star appeared on ITV show Lorraine and told of how he had met his new partner, actor Dickie Cant, on a dating website.

Dickie, 58, is an actor who has appeared in Mary Queen of Scots, Stan & Ollie and Doctor Who. He is also the son of late actor and Play Away presenter Brian Cant.

Talking on the show, he told Lorraine: "I wanted to meet someone who had been around the block and wanted to share a life with someone. I thought I was out of the game when David died."

Speaking to The Sunday Times previously, Richard revealed that he made the first move with Dickie, sending him a waving hand emoji. They went on their first date to the Royal Horticultural Society.

He shared with Saga magazine: "There’s a new man in my life, Dickie Cant. We were talking about fame on our first date – he’s an actor – and he mentioned that his dad was Brian Cant who, as the voice and face of kids’ TV in the 1960s and 1970s, was a huge part of my childhood. Watching Dickie at work makes my heart beat faster; he’s stunning. When I saw him in The Vortex at Chichester, I felt like standing up and screaming: "That’s my Dickie!"

"I thought I was out of the game after losing my husband David in 2019 but, like a bear coming out of hibernation, I suddenly felt hungry for someone to share my life with. We met online, which I’d never tried before. What a brilliant invention! If you’re worried about online dating, I’d recommend it."