Hairy Biker Si King has revealed he thought about ‘jumping on my bike and riding off into the sunset’ after the death of his best friend Dave Myers.
Si, 57, and Dave worked closely together for 20 years, creating a number of much-loved TV cooking shows, as well as books and live performances.
Dave, best known as the other half of the Hairy Bikers, passed away in February at the age of 66, with Si by his side after a lengthy battle with cancer.
Months after his friend’s death, Si opened up about his struggles with grief and how he dealt with the loss of his best friend.
He told it The times: ‘I’ll be honest, the last few months have been a struggle. More than once I was ready to jump on my bike and ride off into the sunset. Don’t tell anyone where I went. Just leave and never come back.
‘Other times I was furious. Furious about that bloody disease, about God and about everything I could think of.’
Best friends Si King (right) and Dave Myers (left) worked closely together for twenty years, creating a number of beloved TV cooking shows
Si has opened up about his struggles with grief and how he dealt with the loss of his friend’s death. Pictured: The pair on This Morning in April 2023
After being diagnosed with cancer, Dave was determined to continue working in an attempt to maintain some normalcy amid the chaos.
Speaking about filming with Dave during his illness, Si said: ‘Oh God, that last series was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life. The crew felt it too; Some of them have been with us from the beginning. We’re all just trying to carry on as normal and trying not to lose it.”
He added: ‘Some days it felt quite surreal, like it wasn’t really happening. I kept thinking, ‘It’s not fair, it’s not fucking fair.’
In June, Si announced that the Hairy Bikers brand is over following Dave’s tragic passing.
He said it wouldn’t be “respectful” for him to continue as the Hairy Bikers on his own.
Speak with The Guardian about his next career move, Si said: “It can’t be the Hairy Bikers 2.0. That’s not going to happen. It wouldn’t be respectful.’
The TV chef continued: “It’s definitely a time of change and change comes with a price and that price has been my best friend.
“The great thing about my buddy Dave was that he absolutely embraced the moment. He drove me crazy. I would tell him to just say something negative, but he just loved being a furry biker.
Dave passed away in February at the age of 66, with Si by his side after a long battle with cancer
Dave passed away in February at the age of 66 after a long and difficult battle with cancer
In June, Si and Dave’s widow led thousands of bikers to Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, after riding across the country from London in honor of the TV star
“Dave and I were two very different people with different agendas and priorities, but we loved each other. The only strategy we had was that if someone was vociferously against something, we wouldn’t do it.
“But Dave was always willing to say yes, much more so than I was. More often than not he would win by being relentlessly positive.”
Earlier in June, Si and Dave’s widow led thousands of bikers to Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, after riding across the country from London in honor of the TV star.
Thousands of people lined the streets and cheered as Si led the 58-kilometer procession of mourners into the city center, less than eight hours after they set off from London’s Ace Café.
Dave’s widow Lili previously praised the efforts of fellow bikers who have smashed fundraising targets for cancer and children’s charities.
Jason ‘Woody’ Woodcock, the organizer of the Dave Day ride from London to Barrow, said as many as 30,000 riders could have been involved in the final stage.
He said: ‘Everyone said it couldn’t be done. We could never move all those people and keep track of time. Still, we did it and not a minute too late.
‘I’m emotionally exhausted, but very happy. I promised to put some bikes together for Dave and thanks to the cycling community and the people of Barrow we made it happen.
‘It’s amazing what is possible when people come together. Politicians must take this into account.’
