Si King has admitted he has been struggling following the death of his Hairy Bikers co-star Dave Myers earlier this year.
Myers died of cancer in February, aged 66. The pair, who were creative partners as well as best friends, fused their love of motorcycles and cooking in a series of shows, which aired across the BBC One, BBC Two, Channel 5 and Good Food.
The chef announced he had cancer in 2022 with their last show airing shortly after his death.
King, 57, said he often felt the urge to escape his grief by “heading into the sunset”, but has decided to move forward with his life as Myers would have wanted.
“I’ll be honest with you, the past few months have been a struggle,” he said in an interview with The Sunday Times.
“More than once I was on the verge of jumping on my bike and heading into the sunset.
“Not tell anyone where I was going. Just clear off and never come back.
“Other times I was raging. Raging at that bloody disease, at God and anything else I could think of. People were asking what I was going to do next.
“The answer is I am going to take some time to reflect on the life I had with my best mate, and think about moving forwards.
“Which is exactly what Dave would have wanted. Move forward, don’t dwell on the past.”
In the interview, which was published in The Observer in June, King opened up about the loss of his friend – and also the subject of what he will do next.
He ruled out the possibility of continuing Hairy Bikers without Myers.
“It can’t be the Hairy Bikers 2.0,” he said. “That’s not going to happen. It wouldn’t be respectful.”
King went on to explain that he is not only mourning the death of his friend, but also the life and career that they shared together.
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“There’s obviously the sense of losing your best mate,” he said. “But there’s also a sense of loss in that the experiences we had together can’t go on.”
The TV personality said that he has only recently, three months after Myers’ death, been able to grapple with the question of what is next for him career-wise.
He emphasised the importance of having a professional partner, stating: “I need someone to play off. I’m good at unpacking people. I’m genuinely interested in people’s stories.”
