I’m a Celebrity 2024: which churches did Reverend Richard Coles work at - is he still a priest?

• Reverend Richard Coles has made it to the final of I’m a Celebrity 2024.
• He has had quite the career - from 80s music stardom to his trip to the jungle.
• Joining the show late, he has quickly become a fan favourite.

Reverend Richard Coles is in with a real chance of being crowned king of the jungle. He has made it to the I’m a Celebrity 2024 final - despite joining the show late.

The former music star - with his band the Communards in the 1980s - has hosted shows on the radio and is a popular author. But you might be wondering if he is actually a priest or not.

Here’s all you need to know about the good reverend’s religious career. And if he is still working at a church.

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Is Richard Coles actually a priest?

The I’m a Celebrity star is officially an ordained member of the clergy for the Church of England. He was ordained in 2005 after starting his training at the College of the Resurrection in Mirfield, West Yorkshire in 2003.

Which churches has Richard Coles worked at?

After being ordained, he was a curate (aka parish priest) first at St Botolph's Church in Boston and then at St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge in London.

In January 2011, Coles became the vicar at St Mary the Virgin in Finedon, Northamptonshire. It is part of the Diocese of Peterborough.

Does Richard Coles still have a church?

In 2022 he announced that he was retiring as vicar at St Mary the Virgin in Finedon. He revealed in April of that year his decision to retire was because of the Church of England’s increasingly ‘conservative, punchy and fundamentalist’ direction, the Daily Telegraph reported.

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