He has been open about his demons in the past, revealing that he has battled both depression and a dependence on alcohol in the past.
Now the famously laconic presenter and self-confessed football fanatic Adrian Chiles has revealed he has developed a very different obsession – the Catholic faith he calls ‘a refuge’.
Such is the 52-year-old 5 Live host’s devotion to what he calls his ‘twin religions’ that he frequently combines the two, often forgoing the pub to attending mass after watching his beloved West Bromwich Albion – sometimes joined by fellow Catholic and West Brom supporter, comedian Frank Skinner.
Chiles reveals all were surprised to learn of his decision to join the Catholic Church at the relatively late age of 39. ‘I think the people with me on the Pilgrimage trip were surprised that I was a Catholic convert. I suspect Dom Joly thought I must be some kind of loony,’ he laughs
‘I suppose it might sound strange to some people but going to Mass with a friend like Frank is as normal as going to see West Brom with him,’ Chiles reveals in a candid interview.
‘Occasionally we’ve gone straight from one to the other. Going to Mass with a mate is no different really to going to a pub with them, or the cinema, or whatever. It’s just kind of nice. For me, it’s certainly less stressful than watching football. ‘
The unexpected revelation comes as Chiles joins the cast of the latest series of BBC’s Pilgrimage, in which seven celebrities of different faiths debate their take on the world as they walk a well-known trail – in this case the Sultan’s Trail which runs between Belgrade and Istanbul.
Among those joining Chiles, 52, are comedian Dom Joly, an atheist, Olympian Fatima Whitbread, a Christian, former politician Edwina Currie, raised in the Jewish faith, and Irish actress Pauline McLynn, who played the housekeeper in TV comedy Father Ted, who is a Catholic turned atheist.
The unexpected revelation comes as Chiles joins the cast of the latest series of BBC’s Pilgrimage, in which seven celebrities of different faiths debate their take on the world as they walk a well-known trail – in this case the Sultan’s Trail which runs between Belgrade and Istanbul
Chiles reveals all were surprised to learn of his decision to join the Catholic Church at the relatively late age of 39.
‘I think the people with me on the Pilgrimage trip were surprised that I was a Catholic convert. I suspect Dom Joly thought I must be some kind of loony,’ he laughs.
‘People always raise their eyebrows when they find out you converted to Catholicism. They think I’m going to be evangelical and try and convert them.’
Chiles’ own conversion happened after a friend took him to mass and he immediately felt at home.
‘There are rarely the highs and the lows you get in football but similarities, certainly. You might call it combining two religions.’ It’s a conviction shared by Chiles close friend Frank Skinner, above, who Chiles cites as an ‘inspiration’
‘I like the fact that there is a human face of God through Jesus Christ,’ he says.
‘And for me, a Catholic church has the right level of solemnity. I am always wary of churches where you raise your arms above your head.’
Since then his faith has underpinned his day to day life, with the presenter revealing he tries to attend mass as and when he can, even when working abroad.
On occasions this has led to some unlikely alliances: while commentating on the 2012 Euros, Chiles was joined at mass by former Manchester United captain Roy Keane and former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira – famously on-pitch rivals who once had a fight in the tunnel at Arsenal’s old Highbury ground.
‘The three of us went. It was a nice Mass. We knelt, stood and sat together and wished each other peace at the given time,’ he recalls. ‘It was a long way from that ding-dong in the tunnel at Highbury. What’s not to love?’
In fact, while on paper football and faith may not have much in common Chiles points out that in reality there is much to unite the two.
‘I suppose you are on the same team and there’s a ritual to it,’ he says. ‘There are rarely the highs and the lows you get in football but similarities, certainly. You might call it combining two religions.’
It’s a conviction shared by Chiles close friend Frank Skinner, who Chiles cites as an ‘inspiration’.
‘It’s handy that someone knew where I was coming from when I became a Catholic. He loved talking about it and still does.’
‘I’ve known Frank about 15 years now, originally through being fellow West Brom devotees,’ Chiles adds. ‘He’s been an inspiration to me in all sorts of his ways. He was one of a handful of close friends at my First Communion on Easter Saturday 2007. And I’m honoured to be a godfather to his wonderful little boy.’
Nonetheless Chiles – who in 2015 he set himself a challenge of going to a different church for every 46 days of Lent – admits that elements of his faith can still prove challenging.
‘I can’t bear theology – you just get tangled up in arguments,’ he says.
‘People often say ‘what about abortion, homosexuality, women priests?’. I say address those to a priest or the Pope, it’s above my paygrade. I’m a Catholic because I’m comfortable in my skin. I know when I walk in, I get a sense of peace. Tears don’t start rolling down my cheeks, but I feel good.’
Yet there were times during his experience on Pilgrimage – where among other encounters the cast met Orthodox priests and visited a concentration camp where many Jews died during the Second World War, when what he encountered was ‘spiritually dispiriting.’
Chiles – who in 2015 he set himself a challenge of going to a different church for every 46 days of Lent – admits that elements of his faith can still prove challenging. ‘I can’t bear theology – you just get tangled up in arguments,’ he says
‘Everywhere we went, there were unspeakable things done in the name of religion. But religion was being used by politics. People attack religion but the worst leaders of recent times – Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Mao – were atheists.’
In his own case, Chiles’ ex-wife, Woman’s Hour presenter Jane Garvey, is reported as saying that becoming a Catholic made Chiles a nicer person, despite the fact they went on to separate two years later. It’s a report Chiles disputes.
‘She never said that to me,’ he insists.
Currently in a relationship with Guardian editor, Katharine Viner, Chiles is more coy when it comes to his future romantic plans, although he has ruled out acquiescing to the Catholic Church’s insistence that a divorced Catholic wishing to remarry should get an annulment. ‘I am not doing that to my kids,’ he says.
Either way, his faith is likely to remain a constant. ‘Some days I think it gives me something else to feel guilty about – but more often than not it feels like a refuge’ he says.