Hairy Bikers' Dave Myers reveals anorexia diagnosis after 'hard' cancer battle

Hairy Bikers star Dave Myers has revealed he was diagnosed with anorexia after losing weight while he battled cancer. The 66-year-old was diagnosed with cancer in May 2022 and underwent gruelling rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy to help combat the disease.

The BBC star returned to television with co-star Si King, 57, on Tuesday evening in the new series The Hairy Bikers Go West and opened up about the impact of his illness on his health.

Si asked his pal: "How has your eating habits changed in the last year or so mate cos you've had it pretty rough?" The 66-year-old responded: "You lose weight, a lot of weight and you're desperately trying to get the calories in and it's hard, it's really hard.

"At one point, I was actually diagnosed as anorexic, can you believe it. After all the dieting we've done to keep underweight." Deciding to remain optimistic, Dave said he was doing much better and revealed his weight is now "stable".

Dave continued: "But yeah, I'm doing alright now and living with it and you know me, weight's stable so whatever I'm doing, carry on with it."

In October 2023, while still undergoing treatment, Dave, who once described himself as obese, explained that he had gone in the other direction due to rounds of chemo.

He said on Tommy Banks' Seasoned podcast: "I lost so much weight and then it’s a battle to get your calories in."

For a while, he developed unusual cravings, asking his wife for bizarre combinations like cottage pie with Vimto.

He also underwent intensive physiotherapy to be able to walk after the chemo also targeted his balance.

"It's hard [even] to stand, so I've had to really learn to walk again!" he told Kaye Adams on her How To Be 60 podcast.

The star, who struggled with losing his hair and even eyelashes during the chemo, is now feeling much more positive about life as he continues his road to recovery.

The Hairy Bikers Go West airs weekly on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.

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