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Feb 20

The Hairy Bikers on dropping the pounds: ‘We had to lose weight or we’d be dead’ – Mirror.co.uk

How to lose weight quickly Comments Off on The Hairy Bikers on dropping the pounds: ‘We had to lose weight or we’d be dead’ – Mirror.co.uk

We hear the Hairy Bikers before we see them. The clomp-clomp of sturdy boots on the rickety staircase of the photo studio announces their arrival. Then its like the room shrinks not only are Si King, 49, and Dave Myers, 59, big bears of men, but their personalities make them larger than life.

After a mini kerfuffle as they both attempt to take the same spot on the couch, the pair plonk themselves down and were relieved to see theyre exactly as they seem on TV just as hairy, just as down-to-earth, just as funny

In fact, the latter makes them the perfect guys to model this years Comic Relief merchandise, including an apron designed by photographer Rankin. And the apron, it seems, is fitting in more ways than one. Not only are Si and Dave capable of cooking up a casual feast or two, theyre also keen to tell us that theyre a pair of domestic gods.

"Were both pretty handy with a hoover, we keep tidy houses," says Dave. "A few years ago, I came off my bike and broke my arms. Si picked me up from the hospital and asked what he could do to help. I said, 'What am I going to do about the ironing?' because even though I look like a bucket of rags a lot of the time, I do like everything neat. God love him, I dont think hed ironed a shirt in his life and"

"Hes very particular about how he folds his shirts, you see, and he kept telling me off!" interjects Si. "But then he teases me about my scented candles and my penchant for soft furnishings Ive got so many bloody cushions, theres nowhere to sit!"

On first impressions, they arent the kind of blokes youd imagine obsessing over the folding of shirts, or plumping up co-ordinated scatter cushions. Hairy, yes; bikers, yes; but they also have something of the old English gent about them.

Dave is wild and slightly scruffy, as if hes just blown in from a motorbike ride around some windy Highland road except for his twiddled moustache, which lends him the air of an eccentric Edwardian. Meanwhile, Si or Kingy, as Dave calls him has his silver hair tied back in a ponytail, his beard neatly trimmed, and his tweed waistcoat in place. They have an endearing way of glancing at each other for confirmation before they speak. Although Sis the quieter of the two, Dave is careful never to speak over his old friend, regularly trailing off mid-sentence in order to coax out Sis opinion.

"Dave shaved his beard off once," Si says suddenly, leaning forwards with a conspiratorial shake of his head. "I just couldnt stop staring at him and thinking, 'Who are you?' It was just a big dumpling face."

These days Dave and Si are looking distinctly less dumpling-like. Its been a few years since they lost 6 stone between them, but unlike so many celebs with diet books, theyve kept it off. Dave once tipped the scales at 18 stone, while Si weighed in at a bulky 19.5 stone.

"We were filming in America and I noticed we were casting shadows like Walnut Whips! The sensible thing to do was go on a diet, so we started rewriting recipes and were better cooks because of it," Dave says.

Nowadays the scales hover around the 15 stone mark, and the lads are off their statins and blood pressure medication. The Bikers became famous as a pair of food-loving fellas, so turning themselves into healthy-eating gurus was risky would the public still watch their shows if they werent travelling the world and ordering extra mains "for the table" at every pit stop along the way?

"One of our catchphrases was 'a big knob of butter' and we knew we had to rein it in," says Dave, slinging an arm casually over the side of the sofa. "We were morbidly obese. If wed continued to pile it on in the way wed been doing, we wouldnt have had a career anyway you cant if youre dead!"

"We knew we were never gonna be Twiggy," adds Si. "Were fighting middle-aged spread, and a lot of people are in the same boat."

A turning point came while on the road: Dave sneaked to Sis hotel room late at night to score some high blood pressure medication after he ran out. Although they laughed about it, Si was struck by the thought that he might not be there to see his kids grow up.

Si was then a hands-on dad to three young sons, Alex, Dylan and James with (now ex) wife Jane, while Dave had recently married long-term partner Liliana, becoming a stepfather to Sergui, 26, and Iza, 21. He met Lili when they were filming The Hairy Bikers in Romania and she was the manager of a hotel they were staying at. They became pen pals and the rest, as they say, is history.

What followed was a diet show that shed the pounds quicker than you can say extra fries with that. When The Hairy Dieters: Fast Food toppled 50 Shades Of Grey from the bestsellers list, the lads knew theyd struck a chord with the nation by making good, old fashioned food, just with fewer calories. But they havent turned into skinny-mini bores, thankfully, with their recent cookbook, The Hairy Bikers Comfort Food, a carb-heavy love-in.

Its the life of wanderlust, eating and biking, that they dreamed up when they first met 22 years ago in the unlikeliest of places the set of a Catherine Cookson TV adaptation. Back then, Si was the assistant director and Dave was a prosthetic make-up artist.

"At lunch most of the crew were ordering salads and mineral water, while I was having a curry and two pints of larger," recalls Si. "When Dave came in, he took one look at my lunch and went, 'Ill have what hes having!' Pretty quickly we discovered we both loved eating, drinking and motorcycling."

After persuading their TV pals at the BBC to make a pilot a cringeworthy affair neither Si nor Dave can bear to watch now the Bikers became famous faces overnight.

"I was working on Spooks at the time," grins Dave. "I was taking Anna Chancellor to the hairdressers and shes used to being noticed, but this time people were stopping me in the street."

Dave and Si both take fame in their stride, unfazed by the attention they receive from their adoring fans, continuing to be the cheekiest of chaps. Well, you can take the boys out of the North, but you cant take the North out of the boys.

Weekend away or Sunday brunch at home?

S: It depends what Im feeling like. Sunday brunch at home sometimes.

D: For me, because Im away so much, Sunday brunch at home. But for my wife, probably a weekend away!

Hungover or fresh as a daisy?

D: Theres a fair chance of being hungover on a Sunday. Depends where Ive got to be. If Ive got the day off, Ill have a lie-in.

What couldnt you get through the weekend without?

D: Food shopping on a Saturday I love it.

S: A good couple of hours practising on the drums. Thats a big treat, that.

D: Thats why you live in the middle of a field!

Gym day or lazy day?

S: Depends what you fancy. In the summertime well go canoeing and swimming.

D: Id say lazy day. Youve got a hangover, havent you? But when we were filming our Comfort Food show, we did meet down the gym in the evenings.

Running errands or pampering?

D: Running errands. Theres always a lot to catch up on.

S: Theres food to buy!

Sunday lunch at home or pub roast?

D: Sunday lunch at home. Well get chicken Ive loved it ever since I was a kid. We call it plumpy chicken; fat chicken with roasties, stuffing and veg.

S: At home chicken or a piece of sirloin.

What did you do last Sunday?

S: I was flying back from Australia, where I was visiting my partner. I was asleep somewhere over Singapore, probably!

D: Ive got a house in the Loire Valley in France and we were there. I cooked white fish from the market, and we ate quite a lot of cheese afterwards. Then went for a long walk.

Dave says: "I love the way Comic Relief is in the National Calendar. Its entertaining, and a lot of people put a lot of effort into it. Its just a fun time of year, and people really look forward to it.

Si says: "We always do something for Comic Relief with the kids, so it will be funny to see our faces on the posters this year!"

Hairy Bikers wear limited edition HomeSense aprons, designed by celebrated British photographer Rankin, to support Red Nose Day 2017. The apron is part of a range of products available in HomeSense stores.

See the article here:
The Hairy Bikers on dropping the pounds: 'We had to lose weight or we'd be dead' - Mirror.co.uk

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