Reverend Richard Coles is ‘worried’ he won’t recognise his I’m A Celeb campmates as he gears up to join them in the jungle as a late arrival

Reverend Richard Coles admitted he’s worried he won’t recognise some of his celeb campmates, as he prepares to join them in the jungle as a late arrival.

The writer and broadcaster, 62, is set to make his bombshell appearance alongside Maura Higgins on Thursday, after it was teased at the end of Wednesday night’s episode.

He has also questioned how he will ‘cope’ with just 500 calories a day, after piling on the pounds thanks to a 5,000 calorie-a-day diet before heading Down Under.

The former Communards musician, who now practices as a Church of England priest, admitted: ‘It’s a tougher gig being the late entrant as you already have some groups forming. And I am nervous of getting in there and not recognising people.

‘You could be talking to the most famous influencer in the world and not know who it is. So that will be tricky.’

Richard added: ‘I am also worried about how I am going to cope with educating myself on 500 calories a day. Five hundred calories is normally elevenses for me! 

‘But at least having been in Brazil and the Amazon, I will be jungle ready. There is both trepidation and anticipation, but I accepted the offer because this is my kind of thing. 

‘I do know Ant and Dec too – Dec and I share a love of sausage dogs! We’ve swapped pictures before of our sausage dogs.’

The Reverend admitted he will miss both his partner actor Dickie Cant, 60, who is the son of Brian Cant, and his phone.

‘I spend half my life connecting with people so that is going to be a bit weird,’ said Richard. 

He added: ‘I will miss my partner a lot and of those I have told, they all think it’s hilarious I’m doing this.  They have told me not to talk too much – especially first thing in the morning!’

Richard went on to admit that I’m A Celebrity will probably be the hardest thing he has ever done.

He joked, however, that ‘humiliating himself’ on Strictly in 2017, was good preparation. 

The writer said: ‘Trying to do a Paso Doble was pretty challenging and also deeply humiliating when I attempted it. But this is going to be physically hard.’ 

When quizzed on whether he has any secret tactics up his sleeve to try to get the camp on his side when he arrives, he simply responded: ‘You just have to be yourself’.

Richard explained: ‘You can’t keep up a façade and I will just be myself. I enjoy meeting other people and I was a vicar for a long time, so I am used to being with groups of people and finding a way to make it work. 

‘I am a nosey person as well and so I am interested in finding out how they think and how their life is. This is going to be fun and it’s suddenly got very real now.’ 

He disclosed that seeing if he can deal with cockraches in camp will be ‘interesting,’ as will be being faced with his fear of heights. 

The broadcaster said: ‘I have always had an adventurous diet, but never as adventurous as a Bushtucker Trial! But I will definitely give the Trials a go. 

‘I might collapse halfway through, I might be screaming and crying on the day but I would like to think I will give it my best shot.’ 

He confided that his snoring  may ‘torment people’ as he admitted it is a ‘major issue’.

However, if they can get past that, the 62 year-old says he does hope to entertain everyone with a few stories. 

How much he confides will probably change as he goes along, says Richard, who explained: ‘I expect I will share stories. I will have to be very careful and selfcensor as I go along, but I imagine that it will be very difficult after a while.’

Although he deems his prospects of being crowned winner as ‘highly unlikely,’ the Reverend thinks it will be a ‘great reset’. 

‘It will be interesting,’ he concluded, ‘I am sure I will confront some fears along the way and it will also be good to learn new things about myself. It’s exciting.’ 

It comes after Richard revealed he piled on the pounds thanks to a 5,000 calorie-a-day diet before heading into the I’m a Celebrity jungle. 

When asked if he tried to lose weight in preparation for the show, Rev Richard said: ‘My run-up to the show was going on a cruise.

‘I would like to say that I’ve been lowering my calorie intake to prepare for that, but that’s not worked out.

‘I’ve been on a 5,000 calories a day sort of diet. So I think I’m already fatter since my measurements the day before yesterday, and will be for the next set of measurements.

‘So no, I’ve not done that at all. I tried to, and I thought I should because I imagine the body will notice going from 5000 calories a day to 500 calories a day, but it’s good, and I will lose a bit of weight.’

When asked if he would bring his religious faith into the jungle, the vicar admitted he would ‘absolutely need it’ when it came to Bushtucker trials dealing with height – his biggest fear.

He said: ‘I actually froze with fear on the stepladder the other day on the second rung up. So that will be scary. But I know that there will be somebody burly with a harness nearby.’

But added: ‘I’m quite relaxed about that [sharing his faith]. I’m not going to go around singing All the Christian Soldiers.’

I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! continues nightly at 9pm on ITV1, STV and ITVX