Body of missing TV Dr. Michael Mosley found on Greek island after intense search
The body of British TV presenter, author and health advocate Dr. Michael Mosely has been found on the Greek island of Symi after a frantic days-long search, his wife Dr. Claire Bailey confirmed in a statement.
“It’s devastating to have lost Michael, my wonderful, funny, kind and brilliant husband,” she wrote, expressing her gratitude for the wave of support following his disappearance on Wednesday.
“My family and I have been hugely comforted by the outpouring of love from people from around the world. It’s clear that Michael meant a huge amount to so many of you,” she wrote Sunday.
Mosely’s body was discovered on a rocky outcropping on the coast of Agia Marina beach after being spotted by passengers on a party boat, which happened to include the mayor of Symi and a number of local journalists.
He went missing from Symi on Wednesday afternoon.
In her statement confirming his death, his wife revealed that he had taken a wrong turn on a hike and collapsed just short of a marina where it was difficult to spot him, which prolonged the search effort.
“He did an incredible climb, took the wrong route and collapsed where he couldn’t be easily seen by the extensive search team,” she wrote.
“Michael was an adventurous man, it’s part of what made him so special.”
Mosely, 67, was known in his native Britain for his regular appearances on TV and radio, as well as his column in the Daily Mail newspaper.
His fame grew beyond the UK with the 2013 publication of his book, “The Fast Diet,” co-authored with journalist Mimi Spencer, which advocated the so-called “5:2” diet.
The diet purportedly helped adherents lose weight fast by dramatically lowering their caloric intake two days out of the week while eating normal portions on the other five.
He made several films about diet and exercise over the years.
Mosely would occasionally take his fascination with diet science to extreme lengths, even living with tapeworms in his belly for six weeks as part of BBC documentary “Infested! Living With Parasites.”
Before his death was made known, tributes flooded in from admirers, friends and colleagues.
“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 Spencer told BBC Radio 4.
“He never blew his trumpet, he was quite a humble person.”
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver said Mosely’s work was transformative to prevailing assumptions about diet and health, calling him a “wonderfully sweet, kind and gentle man” on Instagram.
Mosely had four children with Bailey, who’s also a noted health columnist and writer.
“We had an incredibly lucky life together. We loved each other very much and were so happy together. I am incredibly proud of our children, their resilience and support over the past days,” she wrote Sunday.
With Post wires
