LOVE & loss

REVEREND RICHARD COLES on attempting to deal with the heartache of bereavement

Reverend Richard Coles had his world turned upside down in December 2019 when his husband, David, sadly passed away at the age of 43 after a battle with alcoholic liver disease.

After struggling to process his devastating loss, the recently retired vicar and former member of 80s pop duo The Communards has decided to explore potential ways of coping with bereavement, including surfing, indoor skydiving, alpaca therapy and even a grief cruise in the Caribbean, for a one-off C4 documentary, Good Grief.

Here, Richard, 60, tells TV Times of his endeavours to open up the conversation about how we deal with grief…