Dave Myers' widow warned star not to fall in love despite his 'generous heart'
Dave Myers, who with Si King was part of the Hairy Bikers, married Liliana Orzac in 2011 after the pair met in Romania when he was filming the famous series for the BBC
Hairy Biker Dave Myers had "such a generous heart" and "so much love to give," his grieving widow has said.
Liliana admitted she was "helpless" to fall in love with the TV chef after she met him when he was filming The Hairy Bikers ' Cookbook in Romania. However, she said she fought to "warned him (Dave) not to fall in love" with her because she felt they "were from different worlds".
She was a single mum with two children, working long hours at a modest hotel in Maramures, Romania while Dave, then 47, was a popular face on TV, whose programme was about to attract millions of viewers. Yet, the chemistry was there and, within two years, Liliana moved to the UK to live with Dave.
"I understood that he was a truly special person, full of warmth, wisdom and spark. I knew we were developing strong feelings for each other, but I warned him not to fall in love with me. There were too many obstacles stacked against us. We were from different worlds and I was a single mother with two children to think of: my son Sergiu, 16, and my daughter Iza, ten," Liliana said.
Yet, the couple tied the knot in 2011 in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, in front of 150 guests. Marriage bliss was rocked, though, in 2022 when Dave was diagnosed with cancer. The popular TV presenter died in February 2024 with Si by his side.
Liliana added: "We'd hold hands and cry, sometimes unable to move or talk, just despairing at the unfairness of it all. I knew so well the depth of Dave's pain: the desperation, the helplessness, the anger.
"Desperation for the loss of the peace and safety we'd both worked so hard for and would never get back. Helplessness in the face of this invisible enemy we'd been told was going to conquer us, no matter what we did or tried.
"Anger at the injustice of having his life cut short and for being dragged through all this pain, the hospital appointments and the invasive treatments, knowing there was no way out."
The mum has a new book out, called Adapted from Dave And Me, in which the widow shares her journey from meeting Dave to his tragic demise. In it, she recalls how Dave fancied her in Romania - but she didn't realise.
In her interview with the Daily Mail, Liliana said: "I kept my guard up and treated what we had as a friendship, but Dave exuded so much charm and happiness that I gradually realised how much had been lacking in my life. I'd never known anyone with so much vivacity, so much love to give and such a generous heart.
"It was impossible not to like Dave Myers. And, so it turned out for me, impossible not to fall in love with him, either. Despite my warnings, both of us were helpless to it. So in 2007, I moved to the UK with my daughter. My son stayed behind to finish his exams and came a year later."
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