Hairy Biker auction 'shows man behind TV persona'

An auction of items belonging to Hairy Biker Dave Myers will give the public a chance to discover the man behind the TV persona, his wife Liliana says.

The 66-year-old, originally from Barrow, Cumbria, died from cancer in 2024 after years travelling the world as one half of the cooking double-act alongside Si King.

Items going under the hammer next month include school reports and celebrity photographs from his time working behind the scenes as a BBC make-up artist.

A pair of leather shoes worn during Myers' appearances on Strictly Come Dancing in 2013 will also be for sale on 8 September with an estimated value of up to £500.

Liliana said the couple had "collected so much" together having met in 2005 and married six years later.

However, many of the lots date from a period before they became a couple.

"We carried a lot of boxes from home to home that were never opened," she explained. "I got to open them and learn about Dave's life.

"I knew him from being in the public eye, but had very little knowledge about him behind the camera.

"There's a lot about the man that the public doesn't know and I want people to see what a wonderful person he was."

A collection of school reports dating from 1974 to 1976 have an estimated value of up to £200.

In one, his form master writes Myers had "made much effort" despite enduring a "difficult" term ahead of his exams.

Liliana says the comment referred to health problems faced by his mother and father as well as Myers' own struggles with alopecia.

"He grew up caring for his parents and really had a hard start in life, but still managed to be accepted to Goldsmiths [in London to study fine art].

"Then as a make-up artist for the BBC for 23 years, he worked with many, many celebrities."

A portfolio of items from that job, with an estimated value of up to £2,000, is also for sale including a note from ex-James Bond Sir Roger Moore.

He wrote: "Thank you for taking such care of my old face, I look forward to repeating the experience, Thank you Roger."

The Strictly shoes - one of two pairs Liliana has from her husband's appearances on the BBC One series - remind her of the "gusto" he showed.

"He wasn't a dancer, but he gave it his all on that dance floor every Saturday night with so much enthusiasm," she said.

Thomas Forrester, of Special Auction Services, in Newbury, West Berkshire, described the collection of items as "eye-opening".

He believes the total sale price could exceed £40,000 with a percentage of the proceeds being donated to the NSPCC.

"Cataloging kitchen items from Dave's personal collection and his artworks has been a joy and there are also a number of antiques because while he worked as a make-up artist, he also spent time as an antiques dealer," he said.

"I hadn't realised the tribulations he'd had in life, but the lots show his resilience and ambition.

"He was a fighter."

Myers has been remembered in three annual Dave Day events, which saw thousands of motorbike enthusiasts travel to Barrow from across the country with more than £250,000 raised for charity.

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