The Reverend Richard Coles has admitted his upset over the revelation that she lied to the church about having sex with her late husband.
Coles, 62, who lost her mother Elizabeth earlier this year, was married to Anglican priest David Oldham for nine years before her death from alcoholism in 2019.
The writer and broadcaster was previously vicar of St Mary the Virgin Church in Finedon, near Peterborough, from 2011 until April 2022, when he retired.
In February, he admitted that he and his late husband David had not been celibate during their marriage.
But in a new interview with The Telegraph This week, Coles revealed that he is not comfortable with his public admission because he “offended a lot of people.”
Former Reverend Richard Coles admitted his discomfort after admitting that he and his late husband David (pictured together) were not celibate.
Writer and broadcaster Coles was previously vicar of St Mary the Virgin Church in Finedon, near Peterborough, from 2011 until April 2022.
He said: ‘It wasn’t something I decided to do casually. I thought it was better to lie than to deny myself, David, and others the opportunity for an intimate relationship with another person, because that would be cruel.
‘I think a lot of people in the Church never really understood the decisions you have to make if you’re gay and in a relationship.
‘When (honesty) could cost you your job, your house, your career, your parish, your parishioners, and that is the reality…’
The Church of England allows clergy to have same-sex civil unions, but they are expected to be celibate. After David’s death, Coles said he received hate mail saying he would burn in hell.
Coles is now dating actor Dickie Cant, 58, son of Brian Cant, who presented children’s TV shows such as Playschool and Dappledown Farm in the 1960s and 1970s.
They met on the Elite Singles dating site and the pair hit it off immediately, with Coles suggesting that marriage could soon be on the cards, telling The Times that he could “imagine it going that direction”.
The 58-year-old actor, from Kent, has starred in Mary Queen of Scots, Stan & Ollie and Doctor Who.
But the decision to date again after David’s death was very difficult and took her three years to even consider it.
Coles was married to Anglican priest David Oldham for nine years before his death from alcoholism in 2019.
Richard revealed in 2023 that she found love again with actor Dickie Cant, 58 (pictured in 2019), about three and a half years after her husband’s death.
Dickie and Coles even had mutual friends and told the Telegraph that going back out felt like “a polar bear waking up from hibernation.”
The former Church of England priest is sometimes known as the ‘pop star vicar’ and appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2017.
In a previous interview with The timesFormer Communards star Coles has revealed she lied to the church about being celibate while married to her late husband.
He said of his relationship with the church: “Sometimes I felt like I was in the resistance and they were the Gestapo.”
Coles revealed why he chose not to be truthful while working for the church, saying he felt his former employers had “There’s no moral cause, so I didn’t feel like I had any moral obligation.”
Before David’s death, the couple lived with their dogs Daisy, Pongo, Audrey and Horatio at St Mary’s Vicarage.
They met after David approached Richard for advice on joining the clergy and soon developed romantic feelings for each other, but remained in a celibate relationship.
Oldham’s death in December 2019 shocked parishioners as he kept his fragile health private while battling illness for more than a year.
Reverend Richard retired from the clergy a year ago because he could not excuse how the Church of England “does not treat people fairly” regarding homosexuality.
David, who became increasingly ill with liver disease, was determined to keep the drinking problem that ultimately killed him a secret; However, there were public outbursts, including one involving the police.
After David’s death, Reverend Richard explained how he had asked his partner’s family for permission to share his experiences of life with an addict, in the hope of helping others in the same situation.
The star admitted last June that she thought she was “out of the game” following the death of her beloved husband.
Speaking about Lorraine, he said: ‘I wanted to meet someone who had been on the block and wanted to share a life with someone. I thought I was out of the game when David died.
He revealed that losing David and getting back into the dating game made him feel like “a polar bear coming out of hibernation and looking for a seal,” however, using a dating app helped him gain confidence and find love once further.
Reverend Richard retired from the clergy a year ago because he could not excuse how the Church of England “does not treat people fairly” regarding its position on homosexuality.
