Si King has spoken candidly about the death of his Hairy Bikers co-star Dave Myers, describing grief as a "constant surprise" and admitting he continues to work because he "doesn't know what else to do".
A friendship spanning nearly three decades
The Hairy Bikers were formed in 2004 and built a large following over a 20-year career combining cooking with motorcycling. The duo first met on the set of a TV drama in 1995 and were friends for nearly three decades before Myers died in February 2024 after a two-year battle with cancer.
Together they presented more than 30 television series and specials and co-wrote 27 cookbooks before Myers' death at the age of 66. He was surrounded by his wife Liliana and King when he died, as their final series, The Hairy Bikers Go West, was being broadcast.
"It's a plethora of emotions"
Speaking to the Times, King, who lives near Newcastle, reflected on the strange nature of grief. The 59-year-old said: "Grief's a funny thing because it's as individual as those who are feeling it. And it's as complex as the character that is feeling it."
He added: "It's painful and it is a constant surprise because there are some days that ... Well, it's a plethora of emotions, isn't it? It's all the emotions. It's confusion. It's anger. It's abandonment. It's all those things that you feel as a human being when you lose somebody that important."
Asked how he was doing, King said: "I'm all right. I mean, look, it's challenging and I continue to work probably too hard, but I kind of don't know what else to do."
Earlier reflections on grief
This is not the first time King has discussed his grief. Earlier this year he returned to screens on Channel 4's Top of the Stops, and during an appearance on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs with Lauren Laverne he spoke about feeling guilty in the first year after Myers' death.
He said: "The first year, I didn't want to do anything at all, I just didn't have it in me and then when I was shooting the show, I felt a sense of guilt that I was doing something that when he wasn't there. It was a very odd experience, because I was having to remember and deliver pieces to camera that I'd go 'ah you can do this'."
