Hairy Bikers star Si King opens up about 'struggle' following Dave Myers' death

King said he had been on the verge of "jumping on my bike and heading into the sunset" and was "raging at that bloody disease, at God and anything else I could think of"

TV chef Si King has opened up about the challenging times he's faced since the loss of his Hairy Bikers co-star and friend of 30 years, Dave Myers, who passed away at age 66 in February.

Myers had shared his cancer diagnosis in 2022 and was undergoing chemotherapy. In a heartfelt piece for The Sunday Times, King, 57, confessed: "I’ll be honest with you, the past few months have been a struggle."

He admitted to moments when he felt like fleeing: "More than once I was on the verge of jumping on my bike and heading into the sunset. Not tell anyone where I was going. Just clear off and never come back. Other times I was raging. Raging at that bloody disease, at God and anything else I could think of."

As people questioned his next steps, King resolved to honour his friend's memory: "The answer is I am going to take some time to reflect on the life I had with my best mate, and think about moving forwards."

He emphasized the importance of looking ahead, as Myers would have wanted: "Which is exactly what Dave would have wanted. Move forward, don’t dwell on the past."

King mentioned working on a new anthology of classic Hairy Bikers recipes and hinted at upcoming projects: "there are a few new projects on the horizon". However, he remains content with simpler pleasures: "But even if I end up doing nothing more than making bacon sarnies and playing a few gigs with my band, that’s fine by me. Happy days! ", he remarked.

Reflecting on the legacy left behind, King feels positive: "I keep getting asked if the Hairy Bikers have left a legacy. Yeah, I’d like to think we made a little bit of difference, here and there. Just two regular blokes, having a go at beef rendang or apple pie. Hopefully we caught the attention of people who didn’t normally watch swanky cooking programmes on telly."

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He subsequently reflected: "Overweight, scruffy, working-class northerners don’t often get presented with an opportunity like the Hairy Bikers."

"It was a beautiful, magical thing and I’ll miss it. I’ll miss him. But there is a future for me, and I’m excited for what’s coming next."

The pair had met back in 1992 and as King fondly recalls, their bond "was sealed over a tandoori chicken masala, four poppadoms and three pints of lager". They made their debut TV appearance in The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook in 2004; this series mixed culinary arts with travel adventures and in its premier episode, they embarked on an epic journey traversing Portugal.

In a touching tribute, June witnessed thousands of bikers cruising from London to Myers' native Barrow-in-Furness, this event marked the first Dave Day, which celebrated the life and memory of the beloved TV chef through a commemorative motorcycle ride.

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