Hairy Bikers star Si King has opened up about his painful divorce from his ex-wife Jane Dodd, admitting he brought “a lot of anguish” to his former partner during the separation.
The 59-year-old married Jane Dodd in 1989. They were together for nearly three decades and welcomed children Alex, James and Dylan before splitting in 2016. At the time of their split, Si gave an emotional interview about how he and Jane “lost each other” when he put work first.
A candid interview on the Begin Again podcast
In a new interview, the TV chef sat down with Davina McCall on the Begin Again podcast. Si suffered a life-threatening brain haemorrhage in 2014, and two years later he and his wife divorced. He has since revealed the couple had actually separated years before he received his diagnosis.
Reflecting on that difficult time, Si said there was a lot of “frustration” and “pain” that came from the split. “I look back at that man and I don’t recognise him. It was a world full of contrast,” he explained. “I was loved but I caused quite a lot of pain and anguish.”
Impact on family and the road to reconciliation
Si continued: “After the brain haemorrhage, it took me about three or four years to go ‘who in god’s name was that?’. I think before the operation, Jane – my then wife, we got divorced in the end.
“Nobody wants to bring that to your kids or your family and that kind of anxiety and frustration undermines all of those tenants of life that you set out to bring and security as well. It had a profound effect on my family.”
When Davina questioned if the split was amicable, Si replied: “It wasn’t because it was so painful and I don’t think it was [amicable] for Jane either. We wanted to be amicable for our children and Jane was way more emotionally mature than I was going through that process.”
Ten years on, a renewed friendship
Ten years on since the difficult divorce, Si has admitted that he and Jane are now on good terms. He added: “Thank goodness Jane and I are great mates, I adore her, she’s a fabulous woman.”
The TV chef recovered from a near-fatal ruptured brain aneurysm, which happened over a decade ago. Si recently went public with his new love, designer and property manager Caroline Witcomb, known to friends as Milly. He credited his partner for helping him through the death of his Hairy Bikers co-host and best pal Dave Myers, who died in 2024 after a two-year battle with cancer.
The full episode of Davina McCall's Begin Again podcast is available on YouTube and Spotify.
