TV chef Dave Myers, best known as one half of the Hairy Bikers, has sadly died at the age of 66.
It was Si who announced the heartbreaking news that his best friend and co-star Dave had died on 28 February, 2024 after undergoing treatment for cancer, and he shared that he was by Dave’s side when he passed away.
Dave’s co-star said that he “passed away peacefully at home” with his wife Lili, his family and Si by his side.
The statement read: “Hi everyone, I’m afraid I bear some sad news. “Most of you will know Dave has been fighting cancer for the past couple of years.
Hairy Bikers star Dave Myers has sadly passed away
(Image: BBC)
“Last night, on 28th February 2024, with Lili, Dave’s wife, his family, close friend David and myself by his side, he passed away peacefully at home. All who knew Dave are devastated at his passing. His beloved wife brought him such happiness as did her children, Iza and Sergiu who Dave loved like his own.
“Personally, I am not sure I can put into words on how I feel at the moment. My best friend is on a journey that for now, I can’t follow. I will miss him every day and the bond and friendship we shared over half a lifetime. I wish you god’s speed brother; you are and will remain a beacon in this world. See you on the other side. Love ya.”
Here’s a look inside the pair’s close friendship…
First meeting
Dave and Si first became friends because they both love food. Dave joined the BBC in 1980 as a trainee make-up artist, specialising in prosthetics – and it was here that he met future on-screen partner Si on the set of an adaptation of Catherine Cookson novel The Gambling Man. At the time, Si was an assistant director for the show and Dave was head of the hair and makeup department.
Si and Dave had an unbreakable bond
(Image: BBC/South Shore Productions/Jon Boast)
Si told The Independent: “At lunch, most of the crew were ordering salads and mineral water at the local pub, while I was having a curry and two pints of lager. When Dave came in he took one look at my lunch and went, ‘I’ll have what he’s having!’ Pretty quickly we discovered that we both loved eating, drinking and motorcycling.”
They started cooking together at a party on New Year’s Eve. Si said, “We worked quite closely together and we started cooking together one New Year’s Eve party at my place. I assumed I’d cook and Dave thought he was going to do it, as he’d always been the chef in his family. So we made it together, spiced roast pork with sticky rice, and it was really good.”
The partnership eventually led to a string of successful cookery programmes including The Hairy Bikers’ Food Tour of Britain, The Hairy Bikers’ Mums Know Best, Hairy Bikers’ Meals on Wheels and Hairy Bikers’ Best of British and a range of cookery books.
‘Brothers’
Their friendship wasn’t an act for TV. In a chat with The Guardian about their close bond, Si said: “We are like a cog and a wheel.”
Dave Myers and Si King hosted the Hairy Bikers TV shows together
(Image: PA)
They shared that people often get them mixed up. Just like the famous TV pair Ant and Dec from up north, they always stand the same way round.
Dave explained he always stands on Si’s left side. This started 20 years ago on their first TV show when they chose to keep the same positions for consistency.
He joked that they even walk down the street like that, saying: “It’s got to the point where it feels uncomfortable the other way round.”
Si said: “We’re brothers to each other, really. It transcends friendship.”
Health woes
In 2012, the pair famously slimmed down together and even wrote a cookbook for dieters where they made their favourite dishes healthier.
But the benefits weren’t just about looks. When Si had a scary brain aneurysm in 2014, he said that getting fit with his best friend helped him recover a lot.
Si told the Newcastle Evening Chronicle: “In aneurysms high blood pressure is an issue so if I hadn’t lost all that weight with Dave in 2012, I probably wouldn’t have survived.”
“Back then we started losing weight because a doctor friend said: ‘Look lads, you are middle-aged now and morbidly obese. You need to do something about it.'”.
“That was a wake-up call for us.”
The pair stood by each other throughout their health woes
(Image: Instagram / @HairyBikers)
The Hairy Bikers have a popular podcast, Agony Uncles. But in a sad episode in 2022, Dave revealed he had cancer and would be taking a break.
In a chat with The Times, Si cealled how upset he was when he heard about his friend’s illness, saying: “I was driving. I had to pull over.”
“It’s so distressing. It’s very difficult to verbalise. There’s a sense of loss, but there’s also that sense of hope, you know, knowing my mate as I do.”
He added: “When you see somebody you love so much in so much distress, it’s very hard to know what to do. My character and personality is naturally, I just want to fix it. I just want to fix it. I get very distressed when I can’t.”
In a November 2023 episode of BBC Breakfast, Dave shared a heartwarming story about how Si helped him during his cancer treatment by cooking his favourite comfort food.
The Hairy Bikers Go West,13-02-2024,2 – Dumfries & Galloway,Dave Myers, Si King,South Shore Productions,Jon Boast
(Image: BBC)
He said: “There was one day when I was poorly and he came round to our house and made me mince and dumplings, but he does it properly.”
“You know, when the bottom of the dumplings are just soft, the top of the dumplings are crusty, and I really… I remember that with mashed potato. That was lovely. There was a freezer full and that was great.”
Si also spoke about their long-lasting friendship: “It just comes naturally to us. We’re good mates, we’re part of each other’s families.”
“It’s just the way we are and we don’t really have to try very hard, because we like each other.”
“We’re very different people but that’s what friendship is about because constantly you bring something new to the table when we see each other.”
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