The wife of missing British TV doctor Michael Mosley has paid tribute to her husband whose body was found just metres from his destination, days after he disappeared during a walk on the Greek island of Symi.
The 67-year-old broadcaster, who was on holiday with his wife, was last seen alive at 1.30pm on Wednesday after he set off on a walk alone along a coastal path in searing heat.
His body was found on rocky terrain on Sunday morning just metres from a marina and beach bar, ending a four-day search, that included aircraft, drones and sniffer dogs.
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Police spokesperson Constantina Dimoglidou said the body of a person believed to be Mosley had been found in the area of Agia Marina beach bar, north of the village of Pedi and opposite the northeast beach of Agios Nikolaos where he had set out for his walk.
“It is certainly him,” deputy mayor Nikitas Grillis said, pending formal identification of the body.
In a statement issued on her behalf, Mosley’s wife, Dr Clare Bailey, confirmed her husband took the wrong route on a hike and collapsed just short of reaching a marina in a place where his body “couldn’t easily be seen”.
“It’s devastating to have lost Michael, my wonderful, funny, kind and brilliant husband. We had an incredibly lucky life together. We loved each other very much and were so happy together,” she said.
“We’re taking comfort in the fact that he so very nearly made it.
“Michael was an adventurous man, it’s part of what made him so special.”
Dr Bailey said the family had been “hugely comforted by the outpouring of love”, adding: “It’s clear that Michael meant a huge amount to so many of you”.
“We are so grateful to the extraordinary people on Symi who have worked tirelessly to help find him. Some of these people on the island, who hadn’t even heard of Michael, worked from dawn till dusk unasked,” she said.
“I feel so lucky to have our children and my amazing friends. Most of all, I feel so lucky to have had this life with Michael.”
His four children had arrived in Symi, which is about 16km long and has 2500 residents, following his disappearance.
Mosley’s body was transferred to the neighbouring island of Rhodes for more tests after a police official said a coroner at the scene excluded any criminal act but could not determine the exact cause of death.
Symi mayor Lefteris Papakalodoukas said the discovery was made after he and others, including journalists, filmed the area above the Agia Marina beach from a private boat.
“We analysed the recorded evidence and it was obvious that it was, unfortunately, Mosley,” Papakalodoukas said.
“He was found 10 metres away from the sea, 10-15 metres from his destination, the beach of Agia Marina, between a fence and a path,” adding that it was unclear what had happened.
He said Mosley was found lying face up next to a fence, with his head on a rock. A police source told BBC the deceased had been dead “for a number of days”.
Mosley’s career
Mosley was known outside the UK for popularising a type of intermittent fasting known as the 5:2 diet and authored a book on the Fast 800 diet, which focuses on time-restricted eating for rapid weight loss.
He also featured in UK documentary shows such as Channel 4’s Michael Mosley: Who Made Britain Fat? and the BBC’s Trust Me, I’m A Doctor and appeared on British programmes such as BBC’s The One Show and ITV’s This Morning.
He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 2002 for an outstanding non-fiction special (informational) after executive producing the 2001 BBC mini-series, The Human Face, which examined the science behind facial beauty, expression, and fame.
The father of four also deliberately infested himself with parasites to learn more about them for BBC’s 2014 programme, Infested! Living with Parasites.
Even before the body’s identity was confirmed, tributes poured in for Mosley.
“In person, he was very much the sort of figure that you would see on television: immediately likeable, genuinely funny, enthusiastic, he had this innate enthusiasm about life and he was always very generous with his time,” his co-author Mimi Spencer told BBC Radio 4.
“He never blew his trumpet, he was quite a humble person.”
Tom Watson, former deputy leader of Britain’s Labour Party, called Mosley a hero and said he lost nearly 45kg following one of the doctor’s diet books.
“It’s hard to describe how upset I am by this news,” Watson said on the social media platform X. “Through courageous, science-based journalism, Michael Mosley has helped thousands of people get well and healthy. I’m one of them.”
Dr Saleyha Ahsan, who was co-host on Trust Me, I’m A Doctor, said Mosley had a talent for putting people at ease and explaining science to a general audience, “not just a niche scientific crowd, but to everyone”.
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver said Mosley’s research and TV shows had served the public well and changed the conversation around health issues, writing: “Absolutely devastating news… what a wonderfully sweet, kind and gentle man he was”.
– with AP/CNN
