Hairy Biker widow says 'live the life they can't'
#Hairy Biker #Grief #Bereavement #Festival of Compassion #Dave Myers #Ann Cleeves #Loss #Coping mechanisms
📌 Key Takeaways
- Lili Myers and Ann Cleeves shared their grief experiences at Gateshead's Festival of Compassion
- Myers urged people to 'live the life they can't' in honor of their lost loved ones
- Cleeves described grief as coming in 'waves' similar to labor pains
- The festival aimed to create spaces for open discussion about death and grief
📖 Full Retelling
Lili Myers, widow of late Hairy Biker Dave Myers, and crime writer Ann Cleeves, who lost her husband Tim in 2017, spoke openly about grief at Gateshead's Festival of Compassion, urging people to discuss bereavement and find ways to honor their loved ones by living fully. Myers, who was with Dave for nearly 20 years after meeting him while filming in Romania, shared her personal journey of loss following his death from cancer in February 2024, while Cleeves reflected on her experience after losing her husband to a heart condition seven years ago. During the festival events, both women emphasized the importance of vocalizing grief rather than suffering in silence, with Myers releasing a book last year about their relationship as part of her healing process. Myers particularly encouraged people to 'live the life they can't' in honor of their lost loved ones, stating that despite the crushing weight of loss, life continues and individuals have a choice between hiding or making the best of their remaining days. Cleeves, author of the Vera detective series, described grief as coming in 'waves' similar to labor pains, explaining how reading provided an escape when her suddenly unfamiliar world became overwhelming after her husband's passing. The festival, organized by Compassionate Gateshead in partnership with community charity Edberts House and the palliative care team at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, specifically created spaces for people to openly discuss death and grief, with project manager Julian Prior emphasizing their goal to ensure nobody faces these challenging experiences alone.
🏷️ Themes
Bereavement, Mental health, Community support
📚 Related People & Topics
Grief
Response to loss in humans and other animals
Grief is the response to the loss of something deemed important, in particular the death of a person or animal to which a bond or affection was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, grief also has physical, cognitive, behavioral, social, cultural, spiritual, poli...
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Original Source
Hairy Biker widow says 'live the life they can't' 9 hours ago Share Save Megan Paterson , in Gateshead and Evie Lake , North East and Cumbria Share Save The widow of Hairy Biker Dave Myers and the author of detective drama Vera have urged people to speak about grief after the deaths of their husbands. As part of Gateshead's Festival of Compassion, Lili Myers said she wanted to show people "there is life after losing someone". Dave was one half of the TV duo along with Si King and died in February 2024 from cancer, while writer Ann Cleeves lost her husband Tim in 2017 to a heart condition. The festival held events aimed at giving people the space to talk about death and grief. Myers met Dave, who was from Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, while he was filming in Romania for the first Hairy Bikers series. They were together for almost 20 years before he died. She released a book last year about their relationship as a way of dealing with her loss. 'Earth is crushing you' Myers said: "We are not very comfortable talking about loss and as soon as I experienced my loss, I started to be a little bit more vocal about it and tried to educate people that there is life after losing somebody. "As hard as it is, and it is hard, and at some point you feel like the earth is crushing, you're crushing, life goes on and you have a choice to hide or to live your life and make the best of it and also to honour the person that you lost by living the life they can't live." During the festival, Cleeves, who lives in Whitley Bay, shared how reading had given her an escape when life suddenly became unfamiliar after her husband's death. "It took me quite a long time just to work out how to live without him," the crime writer said. "Everyone's grief is different. I think we have this perception that people can bounce back quite quickly and actually the sense that grief comes in waves." Cleeves said her daughter was a midwife and had compared grief to labour pains. "You know they come in waves an...
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