Hairy Bikers’ Dave Myers 'didn’t think he’d make it to Christmas' after cancer diagnosis
21 December 2023, 14:22
Hairy Bikers star Dave Myers on 'work in progress' cancer battle❤️
The TV chef made a candid confession regarding his health.
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Hairy Biker Dave Myers, 66, has revealed that he 'didn't think he'd be here' to enjoy Christmas after being diagnosed with cancer.
Fans saw the chef reunite with fellow Hairy Biker, Si King, 57, earlier this week for their festive special The Hairy Bikers: Coming Home for Christmas. Despite his ill health, Dave has continued to be positive and is thrilled to be back on screen with Si.
In an interview with the Metro, Dave opened up their new series, stating: "It’s a glorious celebration of life and Christmas. It’s a beautiful programme that we are both very proud of."
The TV star added: "It’s a Christmas I never thought I’d be here to enjoy and thanks to these people I am which I’m heartily grateful for. It’s not closure as I’m still having treatment but it’s a b***** good milestone."
Dave revealed that the show was focused around friends and family, something that is close to his heart.
The chef explained: "We wanted it to be different and there’s one thing about food and sharing it with people you love and care about, and it’s so much more vital to do that. This time we shared that food with people I owe my life to.
"There’s the nurses, the consultants, the physiotherapists who taught me to walk again. There was a guy who sold me a motorbike and got me back onto bikes, because I had to learn to ride again. It really is a joyous occasion."
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The chef also disclosed that he has had a strong support system around him following his cancer diagnosis. In particular, his co-star Si King has been extremely supportive.
The 66-year-old said: "Knowing Si has been there [during the treatment] is fantastic. A lot of the credit has to also go to my wife, she’s been there through it all with me from the start. It’s absolutely vital and I feel really sad for those people who have to go through it on their own."
Dave revealed his cancer diagnosis in May 2022, while also announcing he was undergoing chemotherapy.
During The Hairy Bikers: Coming Home for Christmas, Dave explained how he found out he had cancer, stating: "When I first got the call, what went through my mind was disbelief, and a refusal to believe it in a way. It's the word, isn't it, the word that everybody fears."
"The first lot of chemo was very, very destructive. You don't realise what an impact it can have, the debilitating effects kick in quite quickly.
"My sense of taste and appetite went, I was poorly, you see your weight drop and you've got to eat, but it's finding something you want to eat. I had sores in my mouth. I would fall over quite a lot."
Dave added: "By the second lot of chemo, my hair came out. It really is quite radical, it's not a gradual moulting, your hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, beard, everything just goes.
"It was all about survival, getting through from one week to the next."
However after receiving treatment, Dave is currently stable and enjoying spending time with his friends and family.
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