Si King from The Hairy Bikers

The Hairy Bikers' Si King remembers Dave Myers in moving speech that brings crowd to a standstill

The Hairy Bikers star Si King paid tribute to his late friend Dave Myers

Deputy Online Editor
May 3, 2024

It was an emotional night at the annual Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards. 

The ceremony, which was presented by Andi Oliver and Angela Hartnett, saw a variety of food and drink A-listers gather at The Royal Exchange in London to celebrate those who encourage foodies to enjoy and discover more about food and drink through their work. 

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The Hairy Bikers won at the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards 2024

At the event, attended by HELLO!, there was a special round of applause when The Hairy Bikers were awarded the gong for Personalities of the Year – for the fifth time. 

The bittersweet recognition comes shortly after Dave Myers died from cancer at the age of 66 in February. 

On hand to accept the award was Si King, who thanked the audience for their support – especially in the last few weeks. 

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Dave Myers (right) passed away in February

"Thank you so much - and thank you for all the support, it's been amazing," he said. "Dave loved it, of course - if there was a light, if there was a camera he would have loved it." 

The TV chef also added: "Dave was so proud of this award, particularly because it’s voted for by our loyal followers and fans, the people who matter most to us." 

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The Hairy Bikers won the award for Personalities of the Year

The motorbike riding duo, who first hit our TV screens back in 2006, published more than 25 cookbooks together and presented shows including The Hairy Bikers Ride Again, The Hairy Bikers’ Food Tour Of Britain, The Hairy Bikers: Mums Know Best, The Hairy Bikers’ Cook Off and Hairy Bikers' Best of British. 

Moments later the special recognition, fellow celebrity chef Rick Stein won the prestigious Fortnum & Mason Special Award for his illustrious 50-year career. 

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Angela Hartnett, Rick Stein, Tom Parker Bowles and Andi Oliver were also in attendance

After he was handed the prize by Tom Parker-Bowles, the restauranter also took a moment to remember Dave. "Great to see you Si, I was a bit tearful after that. We all loved Dave – he was great," he said on stage, before saying: "Thank you very much to Fortnum and Awards for this award… I am very very grateful, thank you very much." 

Other attendees included Saturday Kitchen host Matt Tebbutt, TV star Fay Ripley, Liam Charles, Ravneet Gill and Nisha Katona.

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