The widow of late Hairy Bikers television chef Dave Myers is selling around 300 of his personal belongings at auction to mark what would have been his 69th birthday.
Liliana Myers, 59, is parting with the cherished items two years after her husband died from cancer in 2024 at the age of 66. She described the sale as a healing milestone in her grief following his death.
The auction will take place on September 8, coinciding with the date of the chef's 69th birthday. The items will go under the hammer at Special Auction Services, an auction house in Newbury, Berkshire, with proceeds partly benefiting the children's charity NSPCC Childline.
The collection spans wardrobe pieces from Myers' broadcasting career, personal possessions, antiques, paintings, and works of art collected throughout his life. Among the featured items are his signature motorbike leathers, trademark waistcoats, and an outfit from his appearance on Strictly Come Dancing.
Myers was best known as one half of The Hairy Bikers alongside his culinary partner Si King. The pair presented numerous popular BBC cooking and travel shows over two decades, traveling the world on motorcycles to explore regional food culture.
Auction items and personal memories
Speaking on ITV's daytime show This Morning this week, Liliana explained her motivation for opening the sale to the public. She said: "I wanted to celebrate his birthday in a special way, and I know that he loved the public and his fans a lot."
She added: "He was larger than life, and what better way to celebrate his life than giving some of his precious belongings to the public. It was healing very much so. Grieving is a very personal thing. Grief comes in lots of different shapes."
Liliana described the auction as a tribute to her late husband, calling it "a way of celebrating him, celebrating the fantastic person he was, the explosion of energy he was."
Among the notable lots featured in the sale is a handwritten letter from the late actor Sir Roger Moore, famed for playing secret agent James Bond. The collection also includes antiques, paintings, and artworks that Myers accumulated during his life.
Footwear from Myers' stint as a contestant on the BBC ballroom competition Strictly Come Dancing is also included in the auction. Myers competed on the 11th series of the show in 2013 alongside professional dancer Karen Hauer, becoming a fan favourite for his lively routines.
Liliana revealed that Myers brought home two pairs of shoes from his time on the programme, saying: "He brought home two pairs, I kept one and one is here. He absolutely loved that experience."
She recalled how Hauer helped the chef overcome his initial awkwardness on the dance floor. She said: "The man could not dance, and Karen his dance partner said about him, 'Dave, you don't have two left feet, you have seven left feet'. And she had to teach him to walk straight before any dancing steps... he was walking slanted."
Liliana added: "She tied him with straps and made him walk straight before anything!"
Charity motorbikes and motorcycle tributes
The Newbury sale follows the auction last March of the final motorcycle Myers rode on television. The BSA Goldstar featured on the BBC series Hairy Bikers Go West, which Myers filmed alongside King across the western coastline of the UK.
That motorcycle was put up for auction at the National Motorcycle Museum near Solihull in the West Midlands, where it sold for a five-figure sum of £15,800. Proceeds were split between NSPCC Childline and CancerCare North Lancashire & South Cumbria, a charity providing support for individuals and families affected by cancer.
Ahead of that sale, Liliana shared her hope that the motorcycle would be cherished by its new owner, telling the BBC: "That bike still has his DNA on it... I really really hope that the person who gets it, loves it."
Following the completion of the sale, she added: "I am really, really happy to see this bike being loved, and I'm sure the person who got it will love it as much as Dave did."
The motorcycle was bought by Si Harrison, a personal friend of Myers. Harrison said buying the bike meant so much to him, adding: "I couldn't think of a bike that I'd rather be on, and the idea of riding in Dave Day meant so much to me."
Harrison intended to ride the bike during Dave Day, a memorial event created by the motorcycle community in honour of Myers. The first Dave Day took place in June 2024, when 20,000 bikers traveled from London to Myers' hometown of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, raising £127,000 for charity.
