Dr Michael Mosley’s wife has paid tribute to her “wonderful, funny, kind and brilliant husband” after his body was found following a five-day search on the Greek holiday island of Symi.
A huge search operation was launched after Dr Mosley, 67,disappeared on Wednesday after reportedly setting off on a walk to the centre of Symi, which is part of theDodecaneseisland chain and is about 25 miles north of Rhodes.
The body was discovered on Sunday with an umbrella in a rocky area near Agia Marina, close to a network of caves locally known as "The Abyss."
In a statement issued on behalf of Dr Mosley's wife, Clare Bailey Mosley, she expressed her profound grief and shared touching memories of her husband.
Mrs Mosley also revealed that he collapsed after taking a wrong route. "We’re taking comfort in the fact that he so very nearly made it. He did an incredible climb, took the wrong route and collapsed where he couldn’t be easily seen by the extensive search team," she explained.
"I don’t know quite where to begin with this. 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.
She praised her children for their resilience and support during this difficult time. "I am incredibly proud of our children, their resilience and support over the past days," she said.
Agia Marina bar manager Ilias Tsavaris, 38, was among the first to see the body. He discovered it alongside journalists after the island’s mayor noticed something by the bar's fence and alerted the staff.
“They saw it with the boat. The mayor came and saw something so that is when they called me and said ‘hey they saw something go and check there’.
“They called me, they said ‘you know what we saw something from far away can you go and check’ so I went there.
“So when I walked up I saw something like a body to make sure. You don’t see a dead body everyday, it is not a warzone, it’s summer you are supposed to have fun and swimming.
“He came from Pedi OK, and he walked not through the restaurant. If he had walked through there (the bar) we would have checked the cameras.”
Police feared he may have"fallen from a height"while walking along a rocky path that would have taken him from St Nicholas beach back to the village of Pedi.
CCTV later emerged showing the doctor strolling down a street in the village, shielded from the sun by an umbrella, indicating he crossed the dangerous path from the beach and made it back to the village.
DrMosleyvanished after leaving the St Nicholas Beach restaurant at lunchtime on Wednesday. He and hiswifehad travelled by boat from Symi town, where they were staying in a villa, to St Nicholas beach. The return service was not due until 4pm and DrMosleyopted to walk home on his own.
Hiswiferaised the alarm at 7.30pm on Wednesday evening when she realised he had not returned to their villa.
Eleftherios Papakaloudoukas, the mayor of Symi, said "many troubling questions" remained about DrMosley'smovements on the day he disappeared.
"You can easily get lost and it's not wise to walk it in the middle of the afternoon in temperatures approaching 40C [104F]. Why did he leave the beach, and hiswifeand friends? Why did he not take his telephone?"
The 67-year-old is well-known for his appearances on television programs such as This Morning and The One Show. He also hosted the Just One Thing health podcast for the BBC.
Dr Mosley is credited with popularising the 5:2 diet, which involves fasting for two days per week to lose weight.
More recently, he presented two series for Channel 4: Secrets Of Your Big Shop and Who Made Britain Fat?
Academic and broadcaster Alice Roberts shared three pictures on social media with Dr Mosley, with whom she first worked with on her 2009 TV series Human Journey, following reports a body had been found during the search for him.
Prof Roberts wrote: “The fragility of life is so shocking.
“I’ve known Michael Mosley for many years – as a tv producer specialising in science and medicine. He was the executive producer of my 2009 series Human Journey.
“When he started presenting as well as producing, we made several science programmes together.
“And we met up at Hay Festival just 2 weeks ago.
“I can’t believe he’s gone. My thoughts are with his bereaved family.”
It's hard to describe how upset I am by this news. Through courageous, science-based journalism, Michael Mosley has helped thousands of people get well and healthy. I'm one of them. He was a hero to me. He will be deeply missed. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. https://t.co/5qi8OfSKRh
— Tom Watson (@tom_watson) June 9, 2024
Tom Watson, the former deputy leader of the Labour Party, described Dr Mosley as a “hero” following the news.
“It’s hard to describe how upset I am by this news,” Mr Watson said posting on Twitter, formerly X.
“Through courageous, science-based journalism, Michael Mosley has helped thousands of people get well and healthy. I’m one of them.
“He was a hero to me. He will be deeply missed. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
Mr Watson said in an interview after losing around 7st that Mosley’s The Fast Diet book was part of his weight-loss regime.
