Hairy Bikers star Dave Myers declared it felt “good to be alive” in a heartbreaking moment before his tragic death.
The TV chef, one half of TV cooking duo The Hairy Bikers with Si King, has passed away at the age of 66. The sad news of his death came on Thursday (February 29), two years after he announced his cancer diagnosis.
Dave had been part of the BBC show with his best mate Si since 2004, first announced his cancer diagnosis in May 2022 and was undergoing chemotherapy. One touching moment from an episode of their latest series saw Dave reveal how good it felt to be alive.
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Dave and Si had just returned to TV for their series The Hairy Bikers Go West, which follows the pair on a journey from Scotland to Devon, enjoying several culinary delights along the way. The pair referenced Dave’s cancer battle in one episode which returned to Dave’s native North West.
(Image: BBC/South Shore Productions/Jon Boast)
57-year-old Si expressed: “It’s great getting back here with my best mate. We didn’t think 18 months ago that we’d be on the bikes again wandering around Dave’s backyard and it’s wonderful that we are.”, reported The Daily Star. With a smile, Dave agreed: “It’s been glorious. The motorcycling’s been glorious. What can I say – it feels so good to be alive.”
(Image: BBC/South Shore Productions/Jon Boast)
Earlier this month, Dave spoke to Si about his anorexia diagnosis after developing eating habits and losing weight during his chemotherapy sessions. The first episode – on the Isle of Bute – saw Si question Dave’s weight, acknowledging he’d “had it rough”.
Dave explained: “You lose a lot of weight, a lot of weight. And you’re desperately trying to get the calories in. At one point I was actually diagnosed as anorexic – can you believe it? After all the dieting we’ve done? But I’m alright now. I’m living with it.”
(Image: BBC)
Dave got emotional discussing how scared he was that he might never ride his bike again. He’s loved bikes since he got a Ural Mars Mk III as a student. He said: “I have had a very personal journey – and I wasn’t sure I’d ever get back on the saddle again.”
But with lots of “hard work and physiotherapy” Dave managed to get back to doing what he loves. Si was proud of his pal and said: “That’s the payoff to your hard work and dedication. We are very privileged to do what we do and I think this one [series] was particularly special in general because of Dave’s health and his sheer and utter determination and love for what he does.”
(Image: BBC)
Dave decided not to go public with his diagnosis at first. He admitted: “I don’t want newspapers to run a lottery on how long I’ve got to live. That’s not what I want. I felt so guilty because of the effects it’s having on my wife Lil.”
Discussing the effect of his chemo, Dave said: “I didn’t want to eat. I would fall over quite a lot. By the second lot of chemo my hair came out really quite radically. Your hair, eyelashes, everything just goes. I’ve never gone on about what sort of cancer I’ve got because I feel like that’s my business.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
