5 days ago
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This is the new girlfriend who has changed the life of Hairy Bikers star Si King, the Daily Mail can reveal.
Milly Witcomb is the divorced mother of one who the popular TV chef has credited with putting the smile back on his face following the death of his best friend and cooking collaborator Dave Myers.
Si, 59, has previously told how he felt socially lost in the period Dave lost his battle against cancer in February 2024.
But the veteran TV cook put his life back on track when he began dating Milly and he has revealed the new relationship has the backing of his three sons – as well as his ex-wife.
The fact that Si was dating again emerged in an interview with The Sunday Times magazine in which she was identified only by her first name.
But the Daily Mail has learned that she is Staffordshire-based designer and property manager Caroline Witcomb, known to friends as Milly, who at 62 is three years his senior, and has one adult daughter.
Hairy Biker Si King admitted in a recent interview that he had been lost following the death of his best friend and co-star Dave Myers - but said a 'very special lady' had put a smile on his face. The Daily Mail can reveal that his new girlfriend is Milly Witcomb, pictured with him here
Milly at 62 is three years older than Si, 59. She is a divorced mother of one from Staffordshire with a keen interest in interior design. The couple recently holidayed together in Tuscany
Si has previously told how he felt socially lost in the period Dave - for so many years his television sidekick and co-author of 27 cookery books - lost his battle against cancer in 2024
Since they began dating the new couple have enjoyed a trip to Tuscany in Italy as well as dates around the North East where Si lives.
Speaking to The Times, Si said: 'She is a very special lady. She really is.
'I'm very happy. It's been wonderful and continues to be wonderful. And you know, I think the lads [his sons] are really happy, as is my ex-wife Jane, actually.'
Si was married to Jane Dodd for 27 years before they separated in 2016, citing the 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.
Si's relationship with Milly also appears to have the backing of his girlfriend's family, namely her daughter Olivia.
Milly's daughter has posted snaps of the couple on her Instagram page, including a picture of Si and her mother on their family holiday to Italy last month.
Looking relaxed in a blue shirt and green trousers, Si smiles to the camera while Milly, wearing a flowing Gingham dress, places her hand affectionately on his chest.
Best known for being one half of the cooking double act the Hairy Bikers alongside Si King, Dave, right, died from cancer aged 66
She posted another snap taken of the couple naturally chatting as Milly gazes into his eyes.
Olivia also featured snaps of Si and Milly on her Instagram stories taken in December last year, when the couple visited Lilidorei, a play village inside Alnwick Garden, Northumberland.
They were also pictured together on New Year's Eve, both displaying beaming smiles.
Si and Dave presented more than 30 television series and specials while co-writing 27 cookbooks together.
Dave's death, which happened as the pair's final series The Hairy Bikers Go West was being broadcast, affected his family, fans and Si deeply.
Years on from his friend's passing, Si admitted he's still trying to process the grief of losing his best friend.
He said: 'Grief's a funny thing because it's as individual as those who are feeling it. And it's as complex as the character that is feeling it.
'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.
Milly spent years renovating a Grade II-listed Georgian house, a wing of Rangemore Hall in Staffordshire with her former husband. She is a former sales director for a data network firm
'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 his appearance on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs with Lauren Laverne in March, admitting he felt guilty when his sidekick passed away.
He explained: 'The first year, I didn't want to do anything at all, I just didn't have it in me 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".'
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