Dave Myers, beloved as one half of the Hairy Bikers, has died at the age of 66 after being diagnosed with cancer.
The television chef found fame with his co-star and best pal Si King two decades ago, and the bearded pair were known for travelling around the UK on their motorcycles while cooking and tasting food. On Wednesday, February 28, Dave heartbreakingly “passed away peacefully” with his wife Liliana Orzac, family, and close friends David and Si by his side.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) today, Si wrote: “All who knew Dave are devastated at his passing. His beloved wife brought him such happiness as did her children, Iza and Sergiu who Dave loved like his own.” Dave met his other half Lili while filming Hairy Bikers in Romania with Si for the BBC back in 2005.
Speaking about his wife to the Mirror previously, Dave said: “It was love – or rather lust – at first sight. Not on her part probably! She was the manager of our hotel. As Lil showed us our rooms she was very serious, I said, ‘Cor! She’s gorgeous!’ But Si thought she was scary.” The pair hit it off and got hitched six years later in Dave’s hometown of Barrow, Cumbria, in 2011.
They were joined by friends and family, including Si, who was his best man. Reflecting on their wedding day, Dave joked to the Mirror: “I didn’t propose – she’s still waiting! There was all this kerfuffle about papers so we talked about it and decided we should get married to secure the relationship. We were dead sure it was right and her mum and dad were coming over so we did it. We did end up having 400 people there. It was an epic. It was off the cuff, it just grew.”
The two became pen pals before they started a relationship. Dave added: “She’s a strong woman and she’s tough with me. If I’m in a mood, she’ll tell me. She’s smart and looks after our finances.” Praising his wife for supporting him through his cancer treatment, he told MailOnline: “Human companionship and love have got me through. I have the most remarkable wife, Liliana, who’s been my rock every bloody step of the way on this terrible journey.”
Dave once confessed that he had a ‘major regret’ over not having children and starting a family, but when he met Lili, he became part of theirs. Speaking of his delight at becoming a stepfather, Dave said: “A major regret of mine for a long time had been not having children. When I married Lil, I had this ready-made family with two stepchildren.”
Before falling in love with Lili, Dave was reportedly engaged to be married, but tragically lost his fiancée to stomach cancer in 1998. He had a difficult upbringing as a child caring for his mum Margaret, who had previously worked as a crane driver before being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Opening up about that hard time, he told The Guardian: “The hardest thing was watching my vivacious mother become a shell of her former self.”
His dad Jim, also became her full-time career. But when Dave was 17, his dad suffered a debilitating stroke and three years later, he passed away. Margaret sadly died in hospital. Dave went on to become a TV chef with Si and reached new fans in 2013 when he took part in Strictly Come Dancing, partnered with Karen Hauer and reached week seven of the BBC competition.
