Dave Myers and Si King have reunited as The Hairy Bikers for a new festive special of the hit TV show, following Dave's cancer diagnosis.
The 66-year-old TV chef revealed that he was diagnosed with cancer in May 2022 and is currently still undergoing treatment for the disease.
But he has returned to work with his best friend and co-star Si, 57, and expressed his joy at being able to return to filming and give his family, who were constantly by his side for months, a break.
He said: 'It has an impact on the family. It's so hard for my wife and family, you know, that if you don't know, your future is completely turned upside down.
'You partly learn to live with it because you have to, otherwise you go crazy. That's one reason I wanted to go back to work so badly: it's my normalcy. And to start working with Kingy again, that's what I've known for twenty years now.
Dave Myers and Si King reunite as The Hairy Bikers for a new festive special of the hit TV show, following Dave's cancer diagnosis
The TV chef, 66, revealed that he had been diagnosed with cancer in May 2022 but has returned to work with his best friend and co-star Si, 57, and expressed his joy at being able to return to filming and could give his heart. family a break
Dave also had the added pleasure of being able to thank his caregivers with an extensive Christmas dinner
“And I also think it gave my wife some freedom away from me as well. I felt good that I could give her time for herself, even if it was just to go to the gym or a spa, just to have some of her time, because it was so all-encompassing.”
Dave also had the added pleasure of being able to thank his caregivers with an extensive Christmas dinner.
In The Hairy Bikers: Coming Home for Christmas, the two chefs prepare a special meal for all the medical staff who helped Dave on his road to recovery.
Dave sat around the table together and emotionally raised a glass to the health heroes as he said it was 'a Christmas I never expected to be there to enjoy'.
He talked about his experience in the hospital and revealed that the nurses kindly smuggled in special treats for him and also helped provide ideas for the Bikers' new cookbook, Ultimate Comfort Food.
He said: 'A lot of the ideas in the book come from the nurses because when you're having chemo you have a lot of time on your hands, so the nurses come and talk about food. They come from all over the world and bring me food, which is very nice.'
He joked: 'Sometimes it's hard to eat a cheesecake while you're having chemo, but I seemed to be coping well with it.
'We said, 'We're doing this book about comfort food, myself and Si.' (They would reply) “Oh, well, we have this in our country and we have that”.
In The Hairy Bikers: Coming Home for Christmas, the two chefs cook a special meal for all the medical staff who helped Dave on his road to recovery
Dave and Si have been back on the bike in recent months to film for a new Hairy Bikers series due out next year
'If I haven't eaten, they'll come out of the kitchen and say, “Look, can we get something in there?” I said, “You know, just some toast, peanut butter and jelly for breakfast.”
“They don't do peanut butter because of allergies, and it was like, 'We'll find you a jar.'
“So things like that were very friendly. People didn't have to do that. Things like in the nurses' canteen, they make real chips instead of just salad. So I say, “I couldn't get chips with my panini?” “Yes, okay Davy.” Just really nice people.'
Dave and Si have been back on the bike in recent months to film for a new Hairy Bikers series due out next year.
In the BBC Two travel series Hairy Bikers Go West, the duo travel from Scotland to Devon in eight episodes.
Dave said that although show bosses tried to reduce the length of his working days, he still managed to spend up to ten hours recording the episodes.
The Hairy Bikers rose to fame with their popular cooking shows, but have slowed down their busy schedule due to Dave's health.
Dave, who did not reveal what type of cancer he has, said he has undergone chemotherapy “30 times” in the past year.
BBC Two travel series Hairy Bikers Go West sees the duo travel from Scotland to Devon in eight episodes (pictured in October)
He recently described the tearful moment he was able to get back on his motorcycle for the first time since his cancer diagnosis
He recalled the emotional moment as he gave a health update, saying he and Si were left in tears when he was able to drive again after purchasing a brand new vehicle earlier this year.
He recently described the tearful moment he was able to get back on his motorcycle for the first time since his cancer diagnosis.
He has previously said that at times he was too sick to walk and could not ride a motorcycle because of his health problems.
Dave recalled the emotional moment as he gave a health update, saying he and Si were left in tears when he was able to drive again.
He told the Yorkshire Post: “It's been tough but I'm not alone and I'm getting through it and I'm back to work.
'I had to learn to walk and cycle again, and when we got back on the bike with Kingy in the sun, we had tears in our eyes.'
Si added: “He's a real scrapper and he's in good shape. It has been an emotional roller coaster for everyone who loves and cares about Dave.”
The Hairy Bikers: Coming Home for Christmas airs on BBC2 on December 19.