Ex pop star : Rev Richard coles ( pictured ) rose to fame as half of the band The Communards . When a high-profile vicar yesterday attacked the Tory plans to sell housing association homes as a ‘ right to steal ’ , it might have sounded like a stern ticking off from the pulpit . But this was the Rev Richard Coles – who sits on the board of Wellingborough Homes , a housing association in Northamptonshire – and he is no ordinary churchman . Known to many for presenting Radio 4 ’ s gentle human interest show Saturday Live , he is the supposed inspiration for the hero of the BBC church sitcom Rev . And while he might now feel free to attack others for seeking the right to buy their own home , he not so long ago felt he had the right to do whatever he chose himself , regardless of the law or anyone else ’ s feelings . For Coles raised eyebrows by last year publishing a frank memoir which detailed not only his rise to fame as half of the famously gay 1980s pop band The Communards , alongside singer Jimmy Somerville , but also his enthusiasm for ‘ dogging ’ – having sex with strangers in the open air – and for taking drugs including cocaine , ecstasy and amphetamines . He also confessed that he falsely told his friends that he was HIV positive , to generate attention and sympathy , and kept up the unpleasant pretence for five years . Coles , 52 , is now a regular on TV and radio , but on Sundays he performs at his 14th century parish church , St Mary the Virgin , in Finedon , Northamptonshire . He lives nearby in a ‘ rather lovely ’ grace and favour vicarage provided by the Church of England . Last October he warned his parishioners to ‘ brace themselves ’ for the publication of his biography Fathomless Riches , and said shortly after : ‘ I hadn ’ t realised quite how eventful my life had been until I sat down to write about it . The truth is , country parsons often have a more vivid past than you might think. ’ Born in Northamptonshire to shoemaker parents , Coles was sent to public school and it was while he was a chorister there that he realised he was gay . Coles , 52 , is now a regular on TV and radio , but on Sundays he performs at his 14th century parish church , St Mary the Virgin , in Finedon , Northamptonshire . Within a few years he had taken a drug overdose , saying that in the 1970s being gay ‘ was like being a paedophile now – it was a life which seemed to offer only disgrace ’ . He moved to London , however , met Somerville , and they formed The Communards . Their song Don ’ t Leave Me This Way went to number one and was the best-selling single of 1986 . Money poured in . But Coles remained unhappy , jealous of Somerville ’ s fame and feeling geeky himself . He took large quantities of drugs , apparently spending a whole year in Ibiza on speed and ecstasy , and taking LSD . He believes the ecstasy was sometimes laced with heroin . He eventually conquered his shyness with other men when he discovered a lay-by where he could meet strangers and have sex in the woods at night . He described the discovery of this dogging spot as ‘ one of the great liberations of my life . Having lots of casual and anonymous sex with strangers ’ . He added : ‘ It was extremely healing for me . Would I repudiate it ? No . I had a fantastic time. ’ After a theology degree Coles was ordained in 2005 and says he now leads a celibate life with his civil partner David Oldham , 37 , a curate in a neighbouring parish .
ed Coles sits on the board of Wellingborough Homes housing association . Vicar is known for presenting channel 4 's human interest show Saturday live . Attacked Tory plans to sell housing association housing as a ' right to steal ' revealed in memoir last year that he had abused drugs including cocaine , ecstasy and amphetamines .