Hairy Biker Si King has revealed he thought about ‘jumping on my bike and heading into the sunset’ after the death of his best friend Dave Myers.
Si, 57, and Dave worked very closely together for two decades, creating a number of much-loved cooking TV shows as well as books and live appearances.
Dave, best know as the other half of the Hairy Bikers, passed away aged 66 in February, with Si by his side following a lengthy battle with cancer.
Speaking months after his friend’s passing, Si has told of his struggles with grief and how he coped with the loss of his best friend.
He told The Times: ‘I’ll be honest with you, the past few months have been a struggle. 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.’
Best pals Si King (right) and Dave Myers (left) worked very closely together for two decades creating a number of much-loved cooking TV shows
Si has told of his struggle with grief and how he coped with the loss of his friend’s death. Pictured: The pair on This Morning in April 2023
After Dave’s diagnosis with cancer, he was determined to carry on working in a bid to maintain some normality amid the chaos.
Of filming with Dave during his illness, Si said: ‘Oh God, that last series was by far the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do in my entire life. The crew felt it too; some of whom had been with us since the start. All of us trying to carry on as normal, trying not to lose it.’
He added: ‘Some days it felt quite surreal, as though it wasn’t really happening. I just kept thinking: it’s not fair, it’s not bloody fair.’
The pair met in 1992 and Si said their relationship ‘was sealed over a tandoori chicken masala, four poppadoms and three pints of lager’.
Their first TV appearance together was The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook in 2004, which was part cooking show and part travel programme and in the first episode the duo rode the length of Portugal.
In June, Si announced that the Hairy Bikers brand is over following the tragic passing of Dave.
He said it wouldn’t be ‘respectful’ for him to continue as the Hairy Bikers on his own.
Speaking to 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 at a cost and that cost has been my best friend.
‘What was wonderful about my mate Dave was that he absolutely embraced the moment. He used to drive me mad. I’d tell him to say something negative for a bit, but he just loved being a Hairy Biker.
Dave passed away aged 66 in February, with Si by his side following a lengthy battle with cancer
Dave passed away aged 66 in February following a long and difficult battle with cancer
In June, Si and Dave’s widow led thousands of bikers to Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, after they rode across the country from London in honour of the TV star
‘Dave and I were two very different people with different agendas and priorities, but we adored each other. The only strategy we had was that if one was vociferously against doing something, then we wouldn’t do it.
‘But Dave was always ready to say yes, much more than me. More times than not he’d win by being relentlessly positive.’
Earlier in June, Si and Dave’s widow led thousands of bikers to Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, after they rode across the country from London in honour of the TV star.
Thousands of people lined the streets and cheered as Si led the 36-mile-long procession of grieving bikers into the town centre less than eight hours after they set off from the Ace Café in London.
Dave’s widow Lili earlier praised the efforts of fellow motorcyclists who smashed fundraising targets for cancer and children’s charities.
Jason ‘Woody’ Woodcock, the organiser of the Dave Day ride from London to Barrow, said there could have been up to 30,000 riders involved in the last leg.
He said: ‘Everybody said it couldn’t be done. We would never be able to move all those people and keep to time. Yet we did it and not a minute late.
‘I am emotionally drained but really happy. I promised to put a few bikes together for Dave and thanks to the bike community and the people of Barrow we have done it.
‘It is amazing what can be done when people come together. The politicians should take note.’