Hairy Bikers star Si King and his new girlfriend Milly Witcomb are very happy together, she has revealed in her first public comments on their relationship.
Speaking about the TV chef for the first time, the Staffordshire interior designer described her partner as lovely and praised the warmth he receives from fans across the country.
"He is loved by everyone and so he should be," Milly told the Daily Mail. "He is who he is - he is lovely."
She added that the pair have been dating quietly for some time: "We've actually been seeing each other for quite a while now."
Asked how their relationship had remained secret for so long, she explained: "I'm quite quiet and I let Si get on with things."
Discovery of the relationship
The news that Si was dating again first emerged in an interview published in The Sunday Times magazine, where his new partner was identified only by her first name.
The Daily Mail subsequently confirmed her identity as Caroline Witcomb, known to friends as Milly. The 62-year-old designer and property manager is based in Staffordshire and is three years older than Si. She has one adult daughter.
Si, 59, credited Milly with helping to turn his life around after the death of his long-time cooking partner and closest friend, Dave Myers.
The TV cook felt socially lost in the months following Dave's death from cancer in February 2024, but rebuilt his life after meeting Milly.
In his interview with The Times, Si praised his new partner warmly: "She is a very special lady. She really is."
"I'm very happy. It's been wonderful and continues to be wonderful," he told the magazine, adding: "And you know, I think the lads are really happy, as is my ex-wife Jane, actually."
Family support and holidays
Si was previously married to Jane Dodd for 27 years before the couple separated in 2016. They cited the heavy demands and long absences caused by his career for the breakdown of the marriage.
During their marriage, the couple welcomed three sons: Alex, James, and Dylan.
Milly's family has also supported the relationship, with her adult daughter Olivia sharing photographs of the couple on social media.
Olivia posted pictures on her Instagram page from a family holiday to Tuscany in Italy last month, showing the couple looking relaxed in each other's company.
In one photo, Si wore a blue shirt and green trousers while smiling for the camera, while Milly wore a flowing gingham dress and placed her hand affectionately on his chest.
Another photograph showed the couple chatting naturally as Milly looked into his eyes.
Olivia also featured photos of the couple on her Instagram stories in December last year, when they visited Lilidorei, a play village inside the Alnwick Garden in Northumberland.
They were pictured together again on New Year's Eve, with both displaying beaming smiles.
Since they began dating, the couple have enjoyed trips to Tuscany alongside dates around the North East of England, where Si lives.
Legacy of the Hairy Bikers
Si is best known as one half of the cooking double act the Hairy Bikers alongside his late best friend Dave Myers.
The duo presented more than 30 television series and specials together, while co-writing 27 cookbooks that earned them a nationwide following.
Dave died from cancer at the age of 66 in February 2024. His death occurred while the pair's final series, The Hairy Bikers Go West, was being broadcast on television.
The loss of Dave affected his family, fans, and Si deeply.
Two years on from his friend's passing, Si admitted he is still trying to process the grief of losing his best friend.
"Grief's a funny thing because it's as individual as those who are feeling it," Si said when reflecting on his loss. "And it's as complex as the character that is feeling it."
Coping with grief and guilt
"It's painful and it is a constant surprise because there are some days that... Well, it's a plethora of emotions, isn't it? It's all the emotions," Si explained.
"It's confusion. It's anger. It's abandonment. It's all those things that you feel as a human being when you lose somebody that important."
Si also opened up about losing Dave during an appearance on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs with host Lauren Laverne in March, admitting he felt guilty when his sidekick passed away.
"The first year, I didn't want to do anything at all, I just didn't have it in me," he explained on the radio broadcast. "And then when I was shooting the show, I felt a sense of guilt that I was doing something when he wasn't there."
"It was a very odd experience, because I was having to remember and deliver pieces to camera that I'd go 'ah you can do this'."
