Celebrity Coach Trip returns to E4 tonight, with a new set of stars including Matt Richardson, Will Best, Linda Robson and Lesley Joseph taking to the road for the series.
However, Coach Trip would not be the same without tour guide Brendan Sheerin who has been delighting audiences since the programme first began in 2005.
Before becoming everyone’s favourite tour guide, Brendan’s father used to make parts for concorde planes and despite not jet setting when he was younger, the Coach Trip star has since taken people all over the world for holidays they will never forget.
However, it might not always have been the case though, as Brendan nearly embarked on a different career path all together before Coach Trip.
The star has also revealed that the Channel 4 programme opened up a ‘new world’ for him after suffering a tragic loss in his personal life.
Different career path
(Image: Channel 4)
While it might seem impossible to imagine Coach Trip without Brendan, that might have been the case, as he revealed to The Mirror that he nearly embarked on a different career path all together.
Brendan was an alter server in Church when he was a teenager and said that he almost became a Priest, before working in the travel industry.
He told The Mirror, “I was an altar boy and I was one of the favourites because I could do everything, like the incense.”
Priests and Bishops then consulted with him and his father about a vocation in the Priesthood, with Brendan adding: “It was like a Vatican Council, there were all these priests asking me questions – did I do sports, what subject did I like at school?”
However, he decided against a career in the Priesthood, before setting out for a summer job in Spain where he eventually worked for over 15 years.
Love of his life
(Image: @brendansheerin1/instagram)
Between 1976-2001, Brendan was in a long-term relationship with his partner Les, and the couple lived in L’Estartit on the Costa Brava for a long period of time.
However talking to The Mirror, he revealed that he and Les had to hide their relationship for a long time, saying: “In the early days it was a bit dark because you had to be 21 to have a gay relationship.”
He also explained how younger generations had thanked him for “standing up for gay rights”, adding: “A while ago I was on Regent Street and I saw these two boys [holding hands] and they saw me looking.
“I said, ‘Do you know, I would have been arrested for doing that when I was young.
“They just said, ‘Thank you for standing up for gay rights,’ because they know the older generation paved the way for the younger one.
“So it gladdens my heart.”
Tragic loss
After a 25 year relationship, Brendan’s partner Les died of heart failure in 2001.
During an episode of Coach Trip that was broadcast in January 2020, Brendan broke down in tears as he spoke about his partner’s death, saying: “I was loved by a person for 25 years.
“When he died I thought my world was over. It was the end of my life.
“I thought, you know, it was it for me.”
The emotional moment not only left passengers on his coach crying, but also viewers, with one saying: “Brendan made me cry tonight.”
A second viewer added: “Just cried at Brendan’s beautiful words. We love you.”
It is not currently known whether Brendan is in a relationship, but in 2017 he told The Sun that was not actively looking for another partner, saying: “My big love was my Les. I was with him for 25 years.
“If I’m hit by Cupid’s arrow again, fair enough but I’m not looking for it.”
Coach Trip and amorous fans
During the same episode of Coach Trip, Brendan also revealed that the call about his now famous job opened up a ‘new world’ for him after Les’ death.
The phone call came two years after Les’ death, with Brendan saying: “I got a phone call and was told they wanted me. After all that pain a new world opened.”
The coach tour guide has become one of the most well known and popular faces on our TV screens since Coach Trip first aired in 2005, returning to host new series between 2009-2012 and most recently a celebrity edition in 2019.
Having risen to new levels of fame on the programme with celebrity editions of the series, it’s no surprise that he is also estimated to have a huge net worth of $3 million (£2.2 million).
(Image: ENTERPRISE NEWS AND PICTURES)
He also released an autobiography called My Life: A Coach Trip Adventure in 2011.
Brendan even revealed to The Sun that he receives amorous comments about his Coach Trip attire, with one person telling him: “We loved you in those tight, camouflage shorts.”
While Brendan has also delighted fans on stage in pantomime and on the Channel 4 series Brendan’s Love Boat, the Coach Trip star has said that travelling will always be his first love, saying to the Radio Times: “[I] would never do anything other than Coach Trip, even though I’ve been invited…. It’s my bread and butter.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
