Michael Mosley, the British doctor and TV presenter, was found dead in Greece on Sunday following a four-day search. He was 67.
Greek officials found Mosley’s body on a beach in Agia Marina, a town on the island Symi, the mayor Eleftherios Papakalodoukas confirmed, per the New York Times.
Mosley was a trained doctor and health journalist who hosted the BBC health podcast Just One Thing. He is also known for popularizing the 5:2 diet, a form of intermittent fasting, and in 2002 was nominated for an Emmy for The Human Face.
Over the years, he produced and appeared in a variety of programs for the BBC and the British Channel 4, including Medical Mavericks, Eat Fast Live Longer, Inside Michael Mosley and Trust Me I’m a Doctor.
His most recent program, Michael Mosley: Secrets Of Your Big Shop, investigated the nutrition of grocery shopping.
Mosley had arrived in Greece last Tuesday for a weeklong trip, and disappeared Wednesday afternoon after telling friends in Agios Nikolaos that he would walk back to Symi town about two miles away. When he did not return after two hours, his wife, Clare Bailey Mosley, reported him missing.
Firefighters, police officers and volunteers then began their four-day search for Mosley, which was also aided by the Greek coast guard. Security footage eventually identified Mosley in Pedi, halfway between Agios Nikolaos and Symi town, and shifted the search north to Agia Marina where Mosley’s body was found.
“It’s devastating to have lost Michael, my wonderful, funny, kind and brilliant husband,” Mosley’s wife said in a statement on Sunday, per The Sunday Times. “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.”
Bailey is also a doctor and health columnist. “Michael was an adventurous man, it’s part of what made him so special,” she continued. “We are so grateful to the extraordinary people on Symi who have worked tirelessly to help find him.”
She added, “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.”
Charlotte Moore, chief content officer of the BBC, said in a statement that Mosley “was a brilliant science broadcaster and programme maker, able to make the most complex subjects simple, but he was also passionate about engaging and entertaining audiences, inspiring us all to live a healthier, fuller life. His entertaining and accessible style was enjoyed by audiences around the world and he will be hugely missed by many people not least those fortunate enough to have worked with him at the BBC.”
