Reverend Richard Coles, 64, reveals how boyfriend Dickie Cant has helped him find happiness again after the death of his husband

Reverend Richard Coles has opened up on how his partner has helped him find happiness again following the tragic death of his husband David.

The former Strictly star, 64, who lost fellow priest David Oldham to alcohol-related liver disease, aged 43, in 2019, has revealed how his partner Richard 'Dickie' Cant's understanding of his grief has become an important part of their relationship.

Richard, who has been with the actor, 62, for four years after meeting on a dating app, described him as 'fantastic' and said he is enjoying life more than he expected.

Offering a rare insight into their relationship, Richard explained that Dickie respects the fact that his late husband will always have a place in his heart.

'One of the things I love about Dickie, my new partner, is that he's very respectful of the loss around which I live my life,' Richard said on the White Wine Question Time podcast.

'And he also knows [the loss] is not his, but it's mine. That's very good that he understands that and respects that. But then he's a very understanding and respectful person.'

The broadcaster, who was left devastated by David's death nearly seven years ago, said he has found a new lease of life with Dickie after years of heartbreak.

'Life's great now,' he added. 'I thought my thirties would be my best decade, and they were great, but I'm really enjoying my sixties. I've got really good friends; I've got a new partner who's fantastic.'

While he has embraced his new relationship, he admitted that the memory of David remains a constant presence in his life.

'I still say his name out loud now sometimes,' Richard said. 'Gradually, you start to live more of a life around the loss. I won't want to lose the loss. The least I owe David is to grieve him and to miss him, and I do.

'But you start to live more life around that loss. And then all of a sudden, you've got something to take with you into the world that is not defined by that loss. And then you can start putting a life together, which is what I did.'

Richard, who was in a civil partnership with David for nine years, also reflected on the devastating strain his husband's alcoholism placed on their relationship before his death.

'Anyone who's lived with an addict will know - especially an alcoholic, I think - will know that feeling,' he said. 'I couldn't stop it. And I couldn't understand why he was doing it to himself, why he was doing it to us.'

He admitted he now regrets some of the frustrations he felt towards David during his illness: 'I wish I hadn't been so angry with him because he was already feeling bad enough without me being angry with him.'

Despite the difficulties, Richard was determined to remain by his husband's side. 'I had one rule, which is that I wasn't going to leave him,' he said.

Now Richard is building a future with Dickie, who played Richard Hastings MP in the Netflix royal drama The Crown and also starred in Channel 4's It's A Sin.

The actor is the son of the late children's television presenter Brian Cant, and Richard suggested his partner's upbringing has given him a grounded attitude towards celebrity.

Richard said: 'He grew up with a famous dad, and that was really interesting because I think that inoculated him against the more treacherous aspects of fame. I still have to kind of remember what they are.'

The couple, who share a home in East Sussex, are also making plans to expand their household with a pet – although they have yet to agree on what breed of dog to get.

'I want a corgi. I want a Cardigan Welsh corgi, not the Queen's corgi, but the kind of working corgi,' Coles said. 'He's not so keen on that, but we're going to work on it.'

They had hoped to welcome a dog this autumn, but postponed their plans after Dickie landed an acting job that will keep him away until Christmas.