Celebrity chef Si King gave an update about his Hairy Bikers co-star Dave Myers' cancer battle as he presented a cookery demonstration at Bolton Food and Drink Festival.
The 55-year-old appeared on stage alongside presenter Jenny Powell, after Dave had to pull out of the festival due to his diagnosis. Si thanked those in attendance for their support and reassured people that his close friend is 'in the trenches' but 'getting there'.
Addressing the crowd at the end of his demonstration, he said: "I just wanted to say, from Dave and I, thank you so so very much for all of the goodwill and support, all the messages really do not go unnoticed. He's doing canny but as you appreciate he's right in the trenches of it all at the minute but he's getting there, thank God."
Dave revealed the news of his cancer diagnosis on an episode of the pair's Agony Uncles podcast in May and said that he didn't want to 'hide under a rock', but will be away from work, asking fans to 'respect his privacy' as he undergoes treatment.
"But look, the prognosis is OK, I’m going to be fine," he added. "I’ve just got to tuck in, look after myself, eat sensibly and get over this mess, flog books, and be a happy person so, within that, that’s where I am. I may be a baldy biker for a while so it’s just a warning, I don’t want to make a fuss about it, I look all right bald actually."
During the cookery demo, which was held in the Albert Halls, Si cooked up salmon and prawn burgers, as well as a delicious-looking steak and cannellini bean salad, complete with an orange zest and chilli dressing. Speaking to Manchester Evening News about Bolton Food and Drink Festival, the Durham-born chef said: "It's absolutely off the scale and it's great because there's loads of like-minded people here who want to do the same thing as everyone else and it creates an amazing atmosphere.
"The Town Hall is beautiful, it's amazing. Normally we've got this huge marquee and this year it's been more of an intimate event which has been lovely because you get the crowd getting more involved and it's genuinely lovely."
Read more of today's top stories here
READ NEXT:
Inside the stylish new cocktail bar hoping to bring people into Bolton town centre
Chicken tikka naan sells out in minutes after 'unreal' photo goes viral
Why BBC Three's Red Rose being set in Bolton is so special to see as a Boltonian
- I compared a 'Wigan kebab' and a Bolton pasty barm and the winner is undisputed
- Oasis-inspired Definitely Maybe Bar to move into former Blind Tiger venue
