Yahoo News Who is Richard Coles? I'm A Celebrity star reveals biggest jungle fear
The former Communards star and vicar is a late arrival to camp on the ITV show.
I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! is set for a shake-up with two new campmates entering the jungle in Thursday's episode.
Reverend Richard Coles and Maura Higgins have arrived in Australia ahead of their big entrance, sharing their hopes and fears for their time on the show.
Coles acknowledged it could be hard work coming into the show late, as he said: "It’s a tougher gig being the late entrant as you already have some groups forming. And I am nervous of going in there and not recognising people. You could be talking to the most famous influencer in the world and not know who it is. So that will be tricky."
He added that it was "highly unlikely" that he would win because of his snoring but was looking at the opportunity as a "great reset".
The original campmates will have plenty of time to get to know their new co-stars around the campfire but as they get set to take the jungle by storm.
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Who is Reverend Richard Coles?
Coles first found fame as a pop star in the 80s, playing saxophone in Bronski Beat. He and Jimmy Somerville both left the group in 1985 to form the Communards, scoring a number one with their biggest hit Don't Leave Me This Way in 1986.
After his pop career came to an end, Coles retrained in theology and entered the priesthood. He had a long career as a vicar but eventually retired from his role in 2022, saying that he was finding it difficult to balance his media work with his parish duties.
Ahead of his jungle stint, he said: "I was a vicar for a long time, so I am used to being with groups of people and finding a way to make it work. I am a nosey person as well and so I am interested in finding out how they think and how their life is. This is going to be fun and it’s suddenly got very real now."
In recent years, Coles has pivoted again into a new career as an author by releasing three murder mystery novels.
Coles has also spoken out about the heartbreak of his partner David dying in 2019 as a result of alcoholism. He is now in a relationship with actor Richard Cant.
How has Reverend Richard Coles been preparing for I'm A Celebrity?
After touching down in Australia, Coles told journalists that he had been piling on the pounds in preparation for a limited diet in camp.
He told MailOnline that he had been on a cruise recently that involved "a 5,000 calories a day sort of diet" but expected to lose weight on the show.
He added of the possibility of making controversial comments: "I've done reality stuff before, but I've never done it where you are four weeks under constant scrutiny, and I imagine after a while it'd be easy just to forget yourself, but I imagine there are teams of lawyers.
"But I think the way to do these things is to throw yourself into them and go for maximum enjoyment."
Coles also told The Sun that he thought he was uniquely prepared for life in camp: "I lived in the monastery for two years, so I know what it's like to be locked in with people you don't choose to be with. So I've got some resilience."
Reverend Richard Coles' biggest jungle fear
So far, GK Barry and Dean McCullough have been popular choices for bushtucker trials as viewers watched them scream their way through challenges – but Coles admitted that he might not fare much better as he has no head for heights.
He told The Sun his biggest fear was "anything up high. I actually froze with fear on the stepladder the other day. So anything which means walking some horrible, rickety tightrope or something.
"But I know that there will be somebody burly with a harness to keep me from falling."
Which other shows has Reverend Richard Coles done?
He's made plenty of media appearances in his capacity as a vicar but Coles has also been a popular signing for entertainment shows over the years.
In 2017, Coles appeared in Strictly Come Dancing where he partnered Dianne Buswell, although the pair were second to be voted out of the series.
Ahead of his jungle entrance, Coles said: "Trying to do a Paso Doble was pretty challenging and also deeply humiliating when I attempted it. But this is going to be physically hard."
A year earlier, Coles did better in the Celebrity MasterChef kitchen where he finished in fifth place. He has also taken part in Celebrity Bake Off.
Coles also made Channel 4 documentary Good Grief with Reverend Richard Coles in 2022, where he discussed approaches to grieving after his own bereavement following his partner's death.
