HAIRY Bikers star Dave Myers has admitted that he didn’t believe he’d still be here to celebrate Christmas this year following his life-changing cancer diagnosis.
After receiving his diagnosis last year, the TV chef, who was flooded with support, claimed that the disease was "something one learns to live with".
The 65-year-old has continued to keep fans and viewers of the Hairy Bikers show updated amid his treatment and recently returned to TV with his co-star Si King.
The cooking duo are back on screens for an upcoming festive special titled The Hairy Bikers: Coming Home for Christmas.
The programme, which airs tonight, will see Dave and Si cooking for everyone who has been on the challenging journey with Dave, including the medical staff who helped with his treatment, the food producers and his loved ones, who stood beside him throughout ‘his darkest days’.
In an interview with Metro, Dave reflected on the special, saying: “It’s a glorious celebration of life and Christmas. It’s a beautiful programme that we are both very proud of.
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“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 bloody good milestone.”
Dave described the forthcoming festive instalment of the BBC show as a ‘brave’ project for the pair, stating that the programme will be ‘very different’ and ‘personal’.
The TV personality explained: “I’ve been ill for the last 18 months, and our work-life has been a mishmash, and when it was muted, we slowly got back to work and then we did a Christmas special.
“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.
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“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.”
Dave also disclosed that he and Si started to open up ‘without oversharing too much’, admitting it was ‘amazing getting back on the bikes together’ with his best friend taking the lead role.
He continued: “That feeling of again doing what we’ve done for 30 years was magical. Si’s got shoulders like a bison and following that silhouette into the landscape was joyous. It was like getting my wings back.
“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.”
Fortunately for Dave, food and cooking have been ‘vital’ during his treatment and recovery process, both with his appetite and putting on weight.
Dave concluded: “Sometimes I have to give myself a good talking to because if you’re feeling rough, you don’t feel like eating but you have to do it. There are moments when you get back into food that you look forward to it again.
“It’s important to find things that you like as well during that journey. It’s the stuff of life. It doesn’t matter if you’re a prince or pauper, everyone has something that they like to eat. Pancit noodles now have legendary status for me”.
Dave has always expressed his gratitude to the medical staff and others who have helped him through such a tough time in his life.
A few months back, he revealed that he had dedicated recipes for his book Ultimate Comfort Food to those who cared for him during his health struggles.
The Hairy Bikers: Coming Home for Christmas airs 9pm, Tonight.
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