Hairy Bikers Dave Myers' traumatic wake-up call that changed his life

28 October 2023 , 08:00

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Hairy Bikers Dave Myers' traumatic wake-up call that changed his life

Hairy Biker Dave Myers made one life-changing adjustment after a major wake-up call.

The much-loved TV chef, who was last year diagnosed with cancer, realised he needed to alter aspects of his life after receiving the wake-up call. Best friends Dave and Si King became famous for their big hearty meals while riding around the world on their motorbikes.

Dave, 66, once tipped the scales at 18 stone, while Si weighed in at 19.5 stone, which they admit may have been partly down to their catchphrase "a big knob of butter". Back in 2012, Dave was diagnosed with borderline Type 2 diabetes, while Si had high blood pressure, was feeling lethargic and had low self-esteem because of his weight.

Dave made one life-changing adjustment (Charlotte Graham/REX/Shutterstock)

"Look lads, you are middle-aged now and morbidly obese. You need to do something about it," they were told by a doctor friend, who prompted them to shed the pounds. "If we'd continued to pile it on in the way we'd been doing, we wouldn’t have had a career anyway – you can't if you're dead," Dave said back in February 2017.

They were told they both needed blood pressure tablets and statins to keep their cholesterol levels under control. "Something had to change," said Dave in 2019. "Food is our passion and always will be – but we were morbidly obese. We hope that people can take something from what we’re saying."

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While they laughed about it at the time, Si was suddenly struck by the thought that he might not be there to see his three kids grow up. A major turning point came while the friends were on the road - and Dave sneaked into Si’s room one night to get some high blood pressure medication after running out.

The pair lost a sensational 6 stone between them after realising they had to make drastic changes or face a harrowing prospect. "My blood sugar was borderline for Type 2 diabetes," Dave explained. "And I was 40 per cent fat. That was a real wake-up call."

The pair lost a sensational 6 stone (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Si also suffered a terrifying brain aneurysm in 2014 and feared he was going to die, but believes he only survived because he had lost weight. Not only has losing weight potentially saved their lives, but Si and Dave believe it’s made them better at their job. "We were filming in America and I noticed we were casting shadows like Walnut Whips! The sensible thing to do was go on a diet, so we started rewriting recipes and we’re better cooks because of it," Dave said.

"We knew we were never gonna be Twiggy," added Si. "We’re fighting middle-aged spread, and a lot of people are in the same boat." The pair get angry when people scoff at the habits and principles of the younger generations who are on vegan and vegetarian diets.

Dave said: "We looked back on what we used to eat and thought, ‘That’s not cool.’ We had to move with the times and that meant we had to shed weight and not get sick." In 2021, Dave also revealed he was struggling with a 'devastating' eye diagnosis that he initially believed was down to a bad hangover.

The chef admitted he had quite a night of drinking before going to an optician the next morning, which led to him needing a hospital appointment with the suspicions of having glaucoma. Glaucoma is a common condition where the optic nerve which connects the brain becomes damaged - with the first symptoms including blurred vision or seeing rainbow-coloured circles around bright lights.

If the condition is not treated early then it can lead to sight loss, with Dave explaining: "I was devastated. If it hadn’t been spotted so early the result could have been catastrophic. As a chef, my sense of taste and smell are extremely important. But of all the senses, sight is the one I’d fear losing most. My work is my passion so it’s impossible to imagine doing all the things I love if I couldn’t see – riding my bike, reading an autocue or preparing dishes."

Dave feared it would bring his career to an end but with annual eye checks at the hospital and visits to the opticians, he has been able to keep on top of the condition and live with the effects it has. He urged others to get checked out as well: "It doesn’t hurt and it just might – as it did for me – save you from potential blindness."

Harry Rutter