BBC Strictly Come Dancing star drops candid sex confession

Rev Richard Coles is best known for co-presenting BBC Radio 4's Saturday Live for over a decade before stepping down in 2023. Along with being a Church of England priest, before retiring two years ago, the 62-year-old also appeared on Strictly Come Dancing.

Since his TV ventures, Richard has released a book series surrounding a character called Canon Clement. This month, the latest addition, called Murder at the Monastery, was released.

Detailing the new novel, the 62-year-old touched on some of the similarities between himself and the protagonist. In the book, some of the characters are confused about their sexuality, which Richard revealed hails from personal experience.

He told Radio Times: “I barked long and hard up the wrong tree myself before figuring out that it was the wrong tree.” In the book, Canon Clement is described as not being very sexually active.

Richard confessed he went through a similar period himself when trying to figure out what he was going to do in the Church. However, the former BBC radio star shared that that period stopped after a while.

He continued: “It was very difficult in the Church, because it was kind of acceptable to be in a same-sex partnership but you were expected to have a celibate relationship – which I was unable to do.”

When asked if he felt he was forced to lie about his relationship, he confessed not feeling as if there was any other way.

The BBC star admitted hating to lie about it, but shared there were times people must pick the lesser of two evils.

He added: “I think it would have been worse to have denied myself and David the kind of unique, wonderful thing that came with having a relationship.”

In 2007, Richard met fellow priest David Oldham and the pair entered a civil partnership three years later in 2010.

Sadly, his partner died at the end of 2019, which Richard later revealed was from alcoholism.

Touching on his grief in his book, he detailed it is being extremely tough to see someone they love destroy themselves.

In an extract from The Madness Of Grief, he shared: “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.

Since then, Richard has found love again with actor Dickie Cant, who he lives with in Sussex with their two dogs.

Meeting his new partner on an app, Richard has detailed their relationship so far as “wonderful” as he admitted to gushing over his talents.

He told The Times: “He’s in a play and I have to resist the temptation to clap and say, "That’s my boyfriend!"