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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Joel Leaver

Top Gear's James May admits he used to 'urinate on gravestones' when he was a choirboy

James May has admitted that he was part of a rebellious group of choirboys in his youth, with him confessing that there had been "fighting" and "urinating on gravestones".

The presenter, 59, may be known for his roles on motoring shows such as Top Gear and the Grand Tour, but when he was younger, music had been quite a big part of his life.

This included being a choirboy at Whiston Parish Church in Rotherham during his teenage years, with him admitting in a recent interview that he had a rebellious streak.

He explained: "As choirboys we were a bunch of little sh*ts really. I mean, awful people." James gave examples such as "fighting, urinating on gravestones, stealing things."

James May opened up about his youth on a recent podcast (Getty)

The presenter made the admission on the latest episode of the Comfort Eating podcast - hosted by Grace Dent, 48 - which was released earlier this week by the Guardian.

Further discussing his activities as a choirboy, James said on the podcast that they sang at people's weddings for 50p "without a moment's thought for the sanctity of marriage".

Grace had shared her surprise earlier in the episode over discovering that he had been a choirboy, with her teasing that he's "not the most angelic of people".

He currently presents the Grand Tour alongside Jeremy Clarkson (centre) and Richard Hammond (right) (PA)

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James said that he was a choirboy in the early 70s, when attitudes weren't as "flexible or literal" as they are now - with him citing that the role had required him to wear a dress.

He suggested it made the already "difficult" time of being a teenager even more challenging, adding that wearing a dress as a teen "wouldn't be such an issue now."

The podcast also saw host Grace ask about James' family life during his childhood, with the former Top Gear presenter describing it as having been "happy" and "conventional".

James was previously a presenter on Top Gear (Steve Parsons/PA Wire)

It's understood that in the years following being a choirboy, James continued to pursue musical ventures, with him said to have studied music at Pendle College, Lancaster University.

He later venturered into journalist, particularly within the engineering and motoring trade, with him joining the original series of Top Gear in 1999 - though only briefly.

James later joined the relaunched version of the show - alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond - from 2003 to 2015. The trio now present the Grand Tour together.

New episodes of Comfort Eating with Grace Dent are released every Tuesday.

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