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Strictly's Richard Coles unveils new romance following death of husband

richard coles
Strictly star Richard Coles reveals new romanceJohn Phillips - Getty Images

Former Strictly Come Dancing star Richard Coles has confirmed he has a new romantic partner, three and a half years on from the death of his husband.

The retired vicar – who appeared on the BBC dancing show back in 2017 – lost his long-term partner David Coles in December 2019, following experience with alcoholism.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, Coles revealed that he has found love again with new partner Dickie Cant, who he met on an online dating site.

"I wanted to go on a website where I would meet someone who was not looking for a sugar daddy, who was my age, who lived in my sort of world, who I could share my life with," he explained.

richard coles
John Phillips - Getty Images

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Coles' new partner Cant made the first move, 'waving hello' on the app. This led to the pair exchanging a few messages, before agreeing to a first date at a Royal Horticultural Society property.

"I knew by the end of that lunch that I wanted to see him again," said Coles. "And then it just went very quickly, really."

Cant is an actor, and the son of the late actor and Play Away presenter Brian Cant. When the two first began texting it came to light that they share a great deal of mutual friends.

Describing their relationship at present, Coles shared: "We seem to be very easily alongside each other in our lives."

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Cant made an appearance on Coles' social media in early May, in a photo alongside the Reverend's two dog. "Dickie and the dogs," read the caption.

Coles also said that whilst he's since found Cant, he still grieves for his former partner, stating that his husband's death "messed his f***ing life up", adding: "I'm angry when people speak in a way that means they think you should be over it. It's not a cold."

Coles opened up on his heartbreak and David's death in The Madness of Grief: A Memoir of Love and Loss.


If you identify with the themes in this article, the NHS has resources available to help with grief counselling and other support in the UK. In the US, the CDC also has resources available for those grieving.

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