REV Richard Coles rocketed to fame as a member of The Communards and has enjoyed a long career on British TV.

The TV star and will be heading Down Under to take part in the 2024 series of I’m a Celebrity: Get Me Out of Here.

Who is Rev Richard Coles?

Richard was born in Northamptonshire on March 26, 1962, and studied theology at King’s College London.

He later went on to earn an MA from the University of Leeds.

The star spent 10 years as a Roman Catholic but returned to the Anglicanism of his childhood in 2001.

He was appointed vicar at St Mary the Virgin in Finedon, Northamptonshire, in 2011 but decided to retire in 2022.

Life as a popstar

Richard found fame as a member of The Communards, which he formed in 1984 alongside his friend Jimmy Somerville.

They formed the band in 1984 after Jimmy left Bronski Beat.

Richard lived a rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle and admitted to keeping a separate bank account purely to pay his drug dealer.

He said: “How much have I spent on drugs in my life?

“Well, more than a clergyman should.”

After attending a mass at St Albans church in central London in 1990, he said he was “suddenly inspired with a new found faith”.

Heading to the jungle

The Sun exclusively revealed how Richard has signed up to take part in I’m A Celebrity 2024.

He will be joining the show alongside Maura Higgins and the pair will be staying in the Jungle Junkyard.

The Jungle Junkyard has been described as “squalor” and a source told MailOnline that Richard and Maura are in for the “shock of their lives” when they see it.

Richard’s surprising wealth

It was also revealed that Richard’s music career and his appearances on TV shows including Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity MasterChef has made him a very rich man.

His firm Mistramark Ltd reportedly made a £940,000 profit between 2022 and 2023.

The vicar has released several successful crime novels and a hit autobiography which have added a huge amount of money to his rather healthy nest egg.

Sad loss

Richard is an openly gay man who was in a long-term relationship with the late Rev David Coles.

The couple were in a celibate, civil partnership and didn’t have any children.

Sadly, David died in 2019 and Richard didn’t reveal his partner’s cause of death until two years later.

In 2021, Richard revealed David had died from alcoholism.

In his book The Madness Of Grief: A Memoir Of Love And Loss, Richard opened up about his devastating loss.

He talked about how it was “tough” to watch David “destroy himself” and said he did everything he could “think of to help him”.

New love

In June 2023, Richard revealed on ITV’s Lorraine that he has found love again.

His new partner is actor Richard Cant, son of the late actor and children’s TV presenter Brian Cant.

Speaking about his new relationship, Richard told The Argus:“The big personal news is that I’ve met someone and am now in a relationship, which is lovely.

“We met just before Christmas – it was my first go on a dating app and it’s worked very well.

“He’s lovely, he’s kind, funny, thoughtful, interesting – and he likes me.

“If you’re dating in your golden years, you don’t exactly cut to the chase.

“You’re not looking for a roller-coaster – you tend to be looking for a smooth limousine so things are sort of steady and nice, which I like.”