The Hairy Bikers star Dave Myers, who had cancer, dies at 66

Dave Myers, one half of TV cooking duo The Hairy Bikers, has died at the age of 66, two years after revealing he had been diagnosed with cancer.

Myers, from Barrow-in-Furness, found fame alongside Si King 20 years ago.

The bearded pair were known for travelling around the UK and the world on their motorbikes, sampling and cooking food from different regions.

King said he "will miss him every day and the bond and friendship we shared over half a lifetime".

Others paying tribute included fellow celebrity chef James Martin, who called him "a very special man".

The Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood said he was "gutted".

The Great British Menu host Andi Oliver wrote that she was "so so sad to hear" the news, adding: "My heart goes out to you all xx."

Food critic Jay Rayner remembered Myers as "a brilliant cook, a superb communicator and most of all a seriously lovely man".

Strictly Come Dancing's Karen Hauer, who partnered Myers on the show in 2013, said she was "heartbroken".

Announcing the news on Thursday, King wrote: "I'm afraid I bear some sad news. Most of you will know Dave has been fighting cancer for the past couple of years."

He "passed away peacefully at home" on Wednesday with wife Lili, family and close friends at his side, King 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.

"Personally, I am not sure I can put into words on how I feel at the moment. My best friend is on a journey that for now, I can't follow.

"I will miss him every day and the bond and friendship we shared over half a lifetime. I wish you God's speed brother; you are and will remain a beacon in this world. See you on the other side. Love ya."

King continued that Myers would want him to thank everyone who sent messages of support during his illness. "We are eternally grateful for them."

He added: "May I ask you all for one further kindness and allow Lili, his wife, his family, close friends and I some time and some peace to process our huge loss. I am sure I will see you all soon."

The pair's latest series, The Hairy Bikers Go West, started this month and sees them travel down the UK's west coast.

In the first episode, he told viewers it was "a dream come true" to be back on his motorbike because he "wasn't sure I'd ever get back in the saddle again".

"There was a time I couldn't balance, I couldn't walk, I didn't think I'd be getting on a bike," he said.

Myers and King met in the 1990s and went on to become household names while presenting The Hairy Bikers' Cookbook on BBC TV together.

The pilot episode was broadcast in 2005 before the first full series went out in 2006, and saw them ride across countries including Romania, Ireland and Namibia.

Future series included The Hairy Bikers Ride Again, The Hairy Bikers' Food Tour of Britain, The Hairy Bikers: Mums Know Best, The Hairy Bikers' Asian Adventure and Hairy Bikers: Best of British.

The Hairy Bikers published more than 30 recipe books, selling more than six million copies, and documented their weight loss in Hairy Dieters: How To Love Food And Lose Weight.

Myers also fronted a show called The Hairy Builder, about historic buildings.

Paying tribute, BBC chief content officer Charlotte Moore said: "Everyone at the BBC is incredibly sad to hear this news.

"Dave made cooking a truly joyful adventure and he shared that joy with millions. The public loved him and his unique partnership with Si.

"Together they made every viewer feel like a friend. More than that he was simply a lovely man. Our thoughts go out to his family and many friends."

Viewers also paid tribute, with one writing on X that "Si and Dave have been a big part of me learning to cook, and their recipes a source of joy among my family".

Another posted: "Rest in peace mate, you and Si are directly responsible for so much of my love of cooking."

Myers gained a love of food at an early age from his mother, a crane driver at the local shipyard as well as an excellent cook. His father, the foreman of a paper mill, would take him on fishing trips the back of his motorbike.

But when his mum developed multiple sclerosis, the responsibility for food shopping and cooking fell to Myers around the age of 12.

Alongside his dad, he was a young carer for his mother. "In those days there wasn't much support for that," he told BBC Radio 4 in 2019. "It was very hard, really. I've got a lot of sympathy for young carers today."

Around that time, Myers developed alopecia, which doctors put down to the shock of his mother's illness.

"There's an irony, as a Hairy Biker," he said. "I had no hair, no eyebrows, no eyelashes."

He remained largely bald until his early 40s, when he had an operation to remove a cyst from his brain - which he suspected may have been the cause of the alopecia all along.

"My hair grew back complete as it is now with male pattern baldness. So that's the story of the unhairy Hairy Biker."

After leaving home, Myers studied fine art at Goldsmiths in London, before spotting an advert to train as a make-up artist at the BBC.

He had little experience of make-up and was surprised to get the job. "Much to my amazement I turned up for work and I was the first male make-up artist at Television Centre."

He stayed for 23 years, working on shows ranging from Doctor Who to period dramas, and was said to have once painted the white stripe on pop star Adam Ant's face.

It was while doing make-up for a TV adaptation of Catherine Cookson's The Gambling Man that Myers met King, who was employed as a second assistant director.

The pair "got on like a house on fire", Myers said, and they began going on road trips to sample food in different places. One day, they had an idea - what if they filmed themselves on their foodie excursions.

They pitched a TV show to several producers they had previously worked with. "And we never looked back."

Myers met future wife Liliana Orzac while filming The Hairy Bikers in Romania, and she was the manager of the hotel.

"For many years my biggest regret in life was the fact I hadn't had children," he once said. "But when I married Lil I had this ready-made family with two stepchildren and it brought me such joy."