Rev Richard Coles opens up about being a gay priest on I’m A Celeb
Reverand Richard Coles has opened up about being gay and religious during a conversation in the I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
campsite. In an episode aired on Monday, November 25, the former Church of England priest was talking to fellow LGBTQ+ contestant GK Barry, who asked him if he found it difficult to navigate the two.“No not at all,” Richard replied. “I’ve never given it a moment’s twinge of anxiety over whether God thought it was alright or not.“Whether other people thought it was alright of not, well I’m happy to have that argument…”He added: “Also, I was not the first.
Sometimes I look at documents from the early church, or the church of the middle ages and I just think – so gay.”Richard Coles, who is also an author, multi-instrumentalist and media personality, began training for his priesthood in the Church of England in 2003, before being ordained two years later.
He worked as a “half-time vicar” until 2022, when he retired because of the church’s conservative position regarding LGBTQ+ inclusion.Now taking part in I’m a Celebrity, the reverend has formed a close relationship with fellow queer contestant GK Barry, aka Grace Keeling.
