Hairy Biker Dave Myers passed away on Wednesday night with his TV partner Si King and his family by his side after a battle with cancer.
Known best as one-half of the cooking duo, the TV chef had announced he was receiving treatment for an unspecified form of cancer in May 2022.
He leaves behind his heartbroken wife Liliana Orzac and her two children Izabelle and Sergiu who supported him throughout his illness.
Dave and Liliana kept their personal life incredibly private after they tied the knot back in 2011 at the star’s hometown in Barrow, Cumbria.
Speaking about the support he had received from his nearest and dearest throughout his cancer, Dave said in December: ‘A lot of the credit has to also go to my wife, she’s been there through it all with me from the start.
Who is Dave Myers’s wife Liliana Orzac? Meet the ‘remarkable’ woman who supported the Hairy Biker star through his ‘terrible’ cancer journey
Dave and Liliana kept their personal life incredibly private after they tied the knot back in 2011 at the star’s hometown in Barrow, Cumbria
‘It’s absolutely vital and I feel really sad for those people who have to go through it on their own.’
Born in Romania, Liliana studied at The Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania as well as completing her Level 2 Certificate in English at the University of Cambridge in 2003.
After studying a Master’s in Geography and Tourism, Liliana explored numerous careers including working in a museum, sales and marketing and as a associate professor at a university.
Speaking about his wife to the Mirror previously, Dave revealed the pair met when they were filming in Romania and she worked at the hotel he stayed at.
He said: ‘It was love – or rather lust – at first sight. Not on her part probably! She was the manager of our hotel.
‘As Lil showed us our rooms she was very serious, I said, ‘Cor! She’s gorgeous!’ But Si thought she was scary.’
Liliana and Dave then became pen pals before she moved to Cumbria in 2009 and worked as an Romania interpreter alongside the Cumbrian Police, Magistrate Court and Child Services.
Marrying six years after they first met, Dave never actually proposed to his wife and instead said they decided to tie the knot to secure the relationship logistically.
Speaking about the support he had received from his nearest and dearest throughout his cancer, Dave said in December: ‘A lot of the credit has to also go to my wife, she’s been there through it all with me from the start’
While the two never had any children together, Liliana has two children Izabelle (pictured) and Sergiu from a previous relationship
He said: ‘A major regret of mine for a long time had been not having children. When I married Lil, I had this ready-made family with two stepchildren’ (Dave and Si pictured with Sergiu)
He told the Mirror: ‘There was all this kerfuffle about papers so we talked about it and decided we should get married to secure the relationship.’
The pair ended up having a huge wedding with 400 people attending and Liliana’s parents travelling over for the bash.
While the two never had any children together, Liliana has two children Izabelle and Sergiu from a previous relationship.
Dave admitted in the past that he regretted not having children, however when he met Liliana he became part of her children’s lives and became their stepfather.
He said: ‘A major regret of mine for a long time had been not having children. When I married Lil, I had this ready-made family with two stepchildren.’
In 2020 Liliana retrained as a Hypnotherapist and has since worked as a freelance therapist and shares her work on her Instagram account.
She also took care of the couple’s finances and was the co-founder of The Hairy Bikers Diet Club.
Announcing Dave’s passing on Wednesday, Si wrote: ‘Hi everyone, I’m afraid I bear some sad news.
‘Most of you will know Dave has been fighting cancer for the past couple of years.
‘Last night, on 28th February 2024, with Lili, Dave’s wife, his family, close friend David and myself by his side, he passed away peacefully at home.
‘All who knew Dave are devastated at his passing. His beloved wife brought him such happiness as did her children, Iza and Sergiu who Dave loved like his own.
Known best as one-half of the cooking duo, t he TV chef had announced he was receiving treatment for an unspecified form of cancer in May 2022 (pictured with Si King)
Si announced the sad news in a statement released on social media, saying he would miss his friend ‘every day’
The pair met when he and Si were filming in Romania and she worked at the hotel he stayed at, they then became pen pals before she moved to Cumbria
‘Personally, I am not sure I can put into words on how I feel at the moment.
‘My best friend is on a journey that for now, I can’t follow. I will miss him every day and the bond and friendship we shared over half a lifetime.
‘I wish you god’s speed brother; you are and will remain a beacon in this world. See you on the other side. Love ya.’The statement continued: ‘I know Dave and his family would want me to thank all of you who sent messages of support in recent times.
‘It meant the world to him, his family and all The Hairy Bikers team.
‘I am sending you all much love and gratitude for those simple acts of kindness, generosity and spirit. We are eternally grateful for them.
‘May I ask you all for one further kindness and allow Lili, his wife, his family, close friends and I some time and some peace to process our huge loss.
‘I am sure I will see you all soon.’
Dave said of their relationship: ‘It was love – or rather lust – at first sight. Not on her part probably! She was the manager of our hotel’
During the Hairy Biker Christmas Special in December, Dave spoke about the moment he found out he had cancer, as he remembered receiving a phone call from his doctor while driving on the motorway in France.
‘I can’t remember the rest of the drive home, it was like everything collapsed around us,’ Liliana added.
‘It’s like, ”Where do we go from here?” Dave continued. ‘When I first got the call, what went through my mind was disbelief, and a refusal to believe it in a way.
‘It’s the word, isn’t it, the word that everybody fears.’
Speaking about his chemotherapy treatment, Liliana said: ‘It was hard, and it is hard to see him physically struggling with the effects of the treatment.’
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