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| Family Confirms Body of Missing British TV Presenter Dr. Michael Mosley Found on Greek Island |
**ATHENS --** The body of missing British TV presenter and author Dr. Michael Mosley was discovered on a Greek island Sunday morning following a days-long search, his family confirmed.
Mosley, who disappeared on the island of Symi on Wednesday afternoon, was found among rocks on a rugged stretch of coast by a group on a boat that included the local mayor and journalists.
Mosley’s wife, Dr. Clare Bailey Mosley, said he took a wrong route on a hike and collapsed just short of reaching a marina, in a location where his body wasn’t easily visible.
“Michael was an adventurous man; it’s part of what made him so special,” she said in a statement. “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.”
Mosley, 67, was well known in Britain for his numerous BBC programs, regular TV and radio appearances, and his column in the Daily Mail newspaper. Internationally, he was known for his 2013 book “The Fast Diet,” co-authored with journalist Mimi Spencer. The book introduced the “5:2 diet,” which suggested minimizing calorie intake two days a week while eating healthily on the other five.
He later developed a rapid weight loss program and produced several films about diet and exercise. Mosley often pushed his body to extremes to demonstrate the effects of his diets, even living with tapeworms in his gut for six weeks for the BBC documentary “Infested! Living With Parasites.”
Even before the body’s identity was confirmed, tributes poured in for Mosley.
“In person, he was very much the figure you saw on television: immediately likable, genuinely funny, and enthusiastic,” his co-author Spencer told BBC Radio 4. “He was quite a humble person, never one to blow his own trumpet.”
Tom Watson, former deputy leader of Britain’s Labour Party, called Mosley a hero, saying he lost nearly 100 pounds (45 kilograms) following one of Mosley’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, co-host of “Trust Me, I’m A Doctor,” praised Mosley’s talent for making science accessible to a general audience. “Michael’s a national treasure, so personable,” Ahsan told the BBC.
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver noted that Mosley’s research and TV shows had greatly benefited the public and changed conversations around health issues. “What a wonderfully sweet, kind, and gentle man he was,” Oliver said on Instagram.
Clare Bailey Mosley thanked the people of Symi, who she said worked tirelessly to find him. “Some on the island, who hadn’t even heard of Michael, worked from dawn till dusk unasked,” she said. “My family and I have been hugely comforted by the outpouring of love from people around the world. It’s clear that Michael meant a huge amount to so many of you.”
Lefteris Papakalodoukas, the island’s mayor, told The Associated Press that he was on a boat with journalists when they saw a body some 65 feet (20 meters) above Agia Marina beach. Mosley was lying face-up next to a fence.
“We zoomed with the cameras and saw it was him,” Papakalodoukas said.
Ilias Tsavaris, a bar manager at the marina, said he climbed the hillside after receiving a call from the boat to confirm the sighting. “When I walked up, I saw something like a body,” he said. “You don’t see a dead body every day. It’s not a warzone; it’s summer, and you are supposed to have fun and go swimming.”
As police officers were retrieving Mosley’s body, one fell on the slope and had to be carried away on a stretcher, local media reported. The body will be taken to the nearby island of Rhodes for an autopsy.
Mosley had four children with his wife, who is also an author and health columnist.
Associated Press writer Brian Melley contributed to this report from London.
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