Hairy Bikers star Si King has revealed he doesn't recognise the person he was while recovering from a life-threatening brain haemorrhage in 2014.
Speaking on Davina McCall's Begin Again Podcast, the 59-year-old discussed the near-fatal ruptured aneurysm he experienced over a decade ago. He said: "It was 2014. I look back at that man and I don't recognise him... It was full of contrast. I was loved, but I caused quite a lot of pain and anguish. After the brain haemorrhage it took me a good three or four years to think, 'who in God's name was that?'"
Impact on family and divorce
At the time, Si was married to his ex-wife Jane, with whom he shares three children. The couple separated in 2016, following more than 27 years of marriage.
The celebrity chef disclosed that the divorce was partly a result of the distress caused during the haemorrhage and its impact on his family, the Mirror reports.
Speaking to former Big Brother star Davina, he said: "We got divorced in the end. And, you know, nobody wants to bring that to your kids or your family... It had a profound effect on my family. And thank goodness, you know, Jane and I are great, great mates and I adore her, I think she's a fabulous woman."
Near-death experience and support from Dave Myers
Davina questioned Si about how near he came to death while hospitalised in 2014. He said he was "pretty close" to dying due to blood in his spinal fluid.
Si revealed his concerns about how his sons, Alex, James, and Dylan, would cope if he hadn't survived. He continued: "And I signed off... that is a salient moment that you just go, right, 'goodbye'."
He credits Dave Myers, his Hairy Bikers co-star who passed away in 2024, with helping him through the ordeal using the comfort of food. He said: "Two days later, Dave comes up... and he snuffled us in a load of Marks and Spencers pork pies and some cheesy Wotsits."
Cause and lasting effects
When questioned about the cause of the medical emergency, Si explained: "The haemorrhage was brought on by high blood pressure and stress... It was pretty clear about two years after the aneurysm that I had a breakdown, really... And when I fell, my knees properly hit the floor."
Si's anxiety over how his sons would cope stemmed partly from his own painful memories of bidding farewell to his father. The beloved chef recalled being just eight years old when he was brought to hospital to see his dad for the last time.
He described how his sister had to prepare him for the devastating news after his father Graham suffered a failed kidney transplant in 1975. He said: "We were all lining up to say goodbye because he hadn't made it, because the anti-rejection drugs weren't as sophisticated as they are now. And I remember my sister saying, look, I want you to be very brave when you go in, because you're going to have to say goodbye to dad. [I was] saying, 'Well, where's he going? He's in bed, you know.'"
It was the death of his father that sparked Si's passion for food, explaining that he and his mother "grieved around the stove". He said: "I'd cook with Mum. But the only problem was, for each year, I was the same in stone. So at eight I was eight stone, at nine I was nine stone, at 10... And I was thinking, this is getting bloody ridiculous, you know, I mean, I'm just about to go to big school and that's not a great place to be moving up into that place."
The star went on to reveal he shouldered a "major amount of responsibility on" following his father's passing. He believes it has "coloured and formed" his character and his outlook on life.
He describes himself as a "fixer", adding: "I want to fix stuff. I don't want anybody I know and love to be in distress or to be worried about anything... And I'm really hard on myself as well."
