June 15th 2024.
Reverend Richard Coles recently reflected on his time as a contestant on the popular TV show Strictly Come Dancing, describing it as a "brutal awakening." The former Communards star and Church of England priest, now 62 years old, took part in the competition back in 2017 and was partnered with professional dancer Dianne Buswell. Unfortunately, he was the second contestant to be eliminated in a particularly tough year, which included big names like JLS star Aston Merrygold and singer Alexandra Burke, with eventual winner Joe McFadden from Holby City.
With the recent scandal surrounding the departure of dancer Giovanni Pernice and the show gearing up for its new season, Richard looked back on his experience on the show, and it seems that he may not have the fondest memories. "For some reason, I thought I would be good at Strictly Come Dancing," he admitted. "But I quickly found out, along with 10 million other people, that was not the case. It was a harsh reality check." He added that being eliminated from the show was like being sent home from a party as a child because he had wet himself. However, he did appreciate the kindness shown to him by people afterwards, perhaps out of pity.
During his time on the show, Richard became known as the "novelty" act, but he still managed to capture the hearts of millions of viewers, especially with his heavenly performance to the Eurythmics' "There Must Be an Angel." In a recent interview, he also opened up about his struggles with depression, which he says is a part of his nature. He also discussed how he is still working through the grief of losing his husband David in 2019. David, who was also a reverend, passed away at the age of 42 after a long illness. "The loss was too much to comprehend. I went a bit crazy. It took me a while to realize that I wasn't coping," Richard shared. He added that he sees a bereavement therapist and that they have told him that "everyone is crazy for at least five years" after a loss.
In other news, Strictly has been making headlines recently due to allegations made against former dancer Giovanni. There were claims of his celebrity dance partners experiencing bad behavior while working with him. It was reported that Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington, who left the show after five weeks last year, met with Giovanni's former partners Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh to discuss their experiences and potentially take legal action. However, the 33-year-old dancer, who was not included in this year's line-up, has denied any accusations of abusive or threatening behavior.
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