Hairy Biker Si King is given a rapturous welcome at the Good Food Show summer event as he returns to work for the first time since best friend Dave Myers' death
Si King was given a rapturous welcome at Birmingham NEC as he returned to work for the first time since close friend and Hairy Bikers partner Dave Myers lost his battle with cancer in February.
King travelled to the West Midlands for an appearance at the Good Food Show summer event, where he cooked for thousands of fans on Sunday afternoon.
He was joined onstage by celebrity chefs James Martin, Marcus Bean, Paul Ainsworth, Michel Roux Jr and Saturday Kitchen host Matt Tebbutt as the live cooking show got underway.
The TV cook, 57, later posed for a handful of photos after completing his first work commitment since the death of Myers aged 66 to an undisclosed type of cancer on February 28.
The two friends, who met in the '90s, became household names after travelling the world on their motorbikes for a series of BBC and Channel 5 shows, among them The Hairy Bikers' Cookbook, The Hair Bikers' Food Tour Of Britain and The Hairy Bikers' Asian Adventure.
Si King (second left) was given a rapturous welcome at Birmingham NEC as he returned to work for the first time since close friend Dave Myers lost his battle with cancer in February
King (right) travelled to the West Midlands for an appearance at the Good Food Show summer event, where he cooked for thousands of fans on Sunday afternoon
Their last TV appearance came on February 27 in The Hairy Bikers Go West, while Myers was struggling with the later stages of his illness.
King recently hailed a memorial motorcycle ride in honour of his late Hairy Bikers co-star as “absolutely remarkable”.
Thousands of motorcyclists travelled from London to Myers’ hometown in Barrow-in-Furness on June 8 as part of the inaugural Dave Day.
In a video shared by BBC North East and Cumbria, King told crowds after finishing the ride: 'It was just absolutely remarkable. What a remarkable reception. Just mind-blowing.
'All of the over bridges all the way from London up to Barrow-in-Furness, people waving and showing kindness and courtesy – unbelievable.”
King and Myers’ widow Lili later appeared on a stage in Barrow-in-Furness were they thanked those who had come out to pay tribute to Myers.
In videos shared to social media, Lili can be seen thanking those who helped organise the day, saying: “The love that you’ve put into this is not going unnoticed, thank you very much.
'I want to thank all the people that have made the effort to come today, some of them from Malaysia, some of them really struggled in different ways to make their way here but they did, they are with us tonight.”
King and Myers, who met in the '90s, became household names after travelling the world on their motorbikes as the Hairy Bikers for a series of BBC and Channel 5 shows
King was joined onstage by celebrity chefs James Martin , Marcus Bean, Paul Ainsworth, Michel Roux Jr and Saturday Kitchen host Matt Tebbutt as the live cooking show got underway
She said some of the cancer stories shared with her have been “moving her heart” as she can relate to their struggle, adding: 'The past couple of years have been horrendous.'
She encouraged the crowd to reach out to anyone they know living with or supporting someone with cancer as she praised her friends who have been by her side.
Following Myers’ death, his hometown in Cumbria organised the tribute day which also included a music concert and a service of remembrance.
The day raised funds for the Institute of Cancer Research, London, and children’s charity the NSPCC.
King, speaking to BBC Breakfast from north-west London on Saturday morning, said the event would be a “celebration of my best friend that we’ve lost” and it will be “very emotional”.
Thousands of motorcyclists travelled from London to Myers’ hometown in Barrow-in-Furness on June 8 as part of the inaugural Dave Day, to raise funds for the Institute of Cancer Research, London, and children’s charity the NSPCC
Myers and his devoted wife Lili in an undated social media photo. The TV cook died in February aged 66
'You never know how these things are going to impact you, it is a celebration of Dave’s life', he added.
'That’s why we’re here because he was so irritatingly positive all of the time. And we love him and that’s why we’re here.'
King added he wants people to say they are having a “Dave Day” instead of a “great day”.
Speaking about cancer, the TV star described it as a “ruthless disease”, adding: 'It doesn’t care who it takes. And that’s part of the reason that we’re here.
'We’re all like-minded folk and it’s diverse and it’s as varied as every motorcycle that you see, all the characters and personalities here are just great.
'That’s the whole thing about a journey, because motorcycling isn’t about A to B, it’s about the bit in the middle and that’s the bit of life that we all celebrate. That’s what it’s about.'
