Hairy Bikers star Dave Myers has sadly died at the age of 66.
The former chef and TV personality passed away this week, with the official confirmation coming on Thursday (February 29). The chap from Barrow-in-Furness had been suffering from cancer that had first been diagnosed in 2022.
While the official cause of death is not confirmed as of yet, Dave shared his battle against the disease quite publicly as he tried to highlight the need for donations to help with research. And, in his heartbreaking statement announcing the news, best pal Si King said: “Most of you will know Dave has been fighting cancer for the past couple of years. Last night, he passed away peacefully at home.”
READ MORE: Hairy Bikers’ Si King praises Dave Myers for ‘courage’ after cancer battle
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Dave also kept fans up to date on his condition on a regular basis, as he was supported by his friends and family. So, as the nation mourns the loss of Dave Myers, Daily Star looks inside his battle to be healthy and the potential cause of death.
‘Brutal’ diagnosis
(Image: BBC)
Former Strictly Come Dancing star Dave first broke the news that he had cancer in May of 2022. At the time, Dave had said he would be “fine” following his treatment, and even joked that he would likely be “a baldy biker for a while”.
Although he went public with his diagnosis, Dave didn’t go into too much detail. It is not known what type of cancer he had.
While he went under the first few rounds of chemotherapy, his spirits were high, as time went on he became frail and weak. “It’s funny when you first start chemotherapy, it’s quite hard – I’m still having it, it was really brutal,” he explained on an episode of the Seasoned podcast in March 2023.
He added that he had “lost so much weight” as a result of the treatment, and that it was a “battle” to get calories to keep the body weight up. But, ever the optimist, he said at the time that he was happy with where his treatment was at and that he wanted to “maintain” the stable weight he was at.
Affecting his life
(Image: BBC)
As well as his ability to eat, Dave also revealed in another podcast that the chemo had “aged” him at breakneck speed. He added that the treatment had affected his ability to walk, which he struggled with.
“Your balance goes, so for someone with a motorbike that’s a disaster,” he confessed on the How to Be 60 podcast. “And my walking has been affected quite a lot really – to the point that I had to learn to walk again properly.”
But despite the issues he faced with his health during this tough time, he was able to get back to work in time in a welcome health update that he posted in May 2023. Myers was forced to adopt a completely different diet of fermented food to get back to fighting fitness.
Speaking on being back in front of the camera at the time, he said: “It’s unbelievable to be back. Every breath I take now is just refreshing and fabulous.”
Secret health battle
(Image: BBC)
But as time went on, Dave’s battle with food and nutrition continued to be a persistent problem for the chef. In one of the last updates he gave on his health before he passed, Dave revealed that doctors had diagnosed him with anorexia.
Chatting to best pal and co-star Simon King in their latest series on the BBC, The Hairy Bikers Go West, he explained that medics gave him the prognosis after he struggled to put any weight on during his treatment. “At one point I was diagnosed as anorexic – can you believe it after all the dieting we’ve done?” he joked with King.
“But yeah, I’m doing alright now, I’m living with it,” he continued. “My weight’s stable, so whatever I’m doing, I’ll carry on with it.”
In a fitting update posted to the Hairy Bikers’ joint Twitter account, Si paid tribute to his co-star and good friend, saying that he “will miss him every day”. He also described Myers as “a beacon in this world”, before sending him off: “See you on the other side, love ya.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
