ITV I'm A Celebrity fans in tears by Richard Coles' remarks about late partner

Reverend Richard Coles has shared his heart-wrenching experience of losing his partner while on I'm A Celebrity. The 62-year-old vicar faced a tough time in 2019 when his partner, Reverend David Coles, tragically died just before Christmas.

David, who was also a clergyman, was only 43 when he succumbed to liver disease caused by an alcohol addiction that had plagued him since his teens. In Tuesday night's episode of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!62-year-old Richard had a poignant conversation with fellow campmate, Oti Mabuse.

The former Strictly Come Dancing professional revealed her own emotional journey of giving birth prematurely to her baby daughter, explaining how she used her voice to connect with her newborn, who was placed in an incubator. Oti said: "For two months, every single day we'd sing church music. They find comfort in your voice."

READ MORE: Drivers born in these years told their licences will expire

Richard became tearful as he recounted his own story about a premature baby boy he once baptised, reports the Mirror.

He said: "I remember going once to baptise a little boy, a premature boy, he was born very premature, he was only just alive", Richard choked up as he held back tears. After receiving a comforting hug from Oti, Richard continued: "I just remember he was this tiny little pulse of life, and David [his then partner] got a pipette of water and we blessed it. We baptised him and he survived and now he's a healthy young footballer, which is great! But I just felt so... it was such a precious thing."

Oti shared her harrowing experience: "They are, my daughter was really, really tiny when she was born. It's hell. It's hell to be in the hospital, to hear those sounds, to not see your baby's eyes for a week, it's hell to constantly look for advice from the doctors."

She fought back tears as she revealed the most difficult part: "Every night, you need to leave them, you need to leave your baby in someone else's hands."

The Dancing On Ice judge expressed her hope for Richard to meet her little one, with Richard confiding that he had already prayed for her. In a moment of vulnerability, Richard opened up about his own loss, saying to Oti: "I miss him... He's just left a massive hole in my life and I'm living my life around that loss."

The heartfelt exchange touched viewers deeply, with one commenting: "Why am I tearing up listening to Oti open up about her daughter being born prematurely and see Reverend Richard connect with her on such a level."

Another praised their courage: "How incredibly brave of Oti and Rev Richard to speak about this."

while another viewer shared their emotional reaction: "Watching Oti talk about her daughter and Rev Richard talking about his late partner David got me welling up."

David passed away in 2019, and it was only two years later that Richard chose to speak candidly about his death. He shared, "I often think if someone dies of drink as people used to say, that people filed them under a sort of tragic, squalid death," explaining his initial reluctance to disclose the harrowing details of David's alcoholism.

"David was so much more than that. I wanted to get a sense of why David was so important to those who loved him before we got to a discussion of what killed him."