Michael Mosley found dead at 67 after going missing from Greek island

9 June 2024, 13:18 | Updated: 9 June 2024, 13:20

By Alice Dear

Michael Mosley was reported missing from the Greek island of Symi on Wednesday and has now been confirmed dead.

Michael Mosley has died at the age of 67-years-old after going missing while on holiday with his wife, Clare Bailey.

His body was found by a local bar manager, Antonios, after he took a boat out to film the search and rescue teams looking for the TV doctor.

It was here he saw a figure on the land and – after returning to shore to look closer at the footage – he could "clearly see a man laying down" with the description matching that of Michael.

He emotionally told Sky News: "I'm very sorry for the family, I'm sorry I was the one who found him. I wish we had better news." His wife Clare Bailey, who he shares four children with, is yet to release a statement.

This news comes after it was announced on Sunday morning that a body had been found on the Greek island of Symi amid the search for the doctor.

The body was found in a rocky area beside Agia Marina beach with a police source telling the BBC that the person had been dead for "a number of days".

Many celebrities who knew and worked with Michael have been sharing tributes following his death, including Jamie Oliver, who shared the following message on his Instagram: "Rest in peace Michael Mosley…. Absolutely devastating news about the sad loss of fellow tv presenter Micheal Mosley today. What a wonderfully sweet, kind and gentle man he was. He did such a lot of good for public health with his TV shows and research. He was a curious investigator, producer and presenter and often changed the conversation around many public health issues for the better. He will be sadly missed….love and thoughts to Claire and all of his family 🙏🏼 jamie o xx"

Meanwhile, Good Morning Britain's Ranvir Singh wrote: "Terribly sad news. Thank you for changing the lives of thousands of people - including mine - for the better."

It was first reported Michael had gone missing on Thursday, 6th June, after not returning from a walk on the island on Wednesday.

The shocking news was confirmed by his agent after a local Facebook group posted an appeal for information about his whereabouts, sharing that the Doctor had set off on a walk on Wednesday, 5th June, at 1:30pm local time and had not returned.

The original appeal read: "Have you seen this man? He set off to walk back from St Nick's at about 13.30 and failed to make it home. His friends are concerned as it is 6 hours since they last saw him. His name is Dr Mike Mosley and he is a familiar face for many British people."

Michael is best known for creating the 5:2 diet, releasing many books on healthy eating and living, and appearing in a series of his own documentaries as well as starring on shows such as This Morning and The One Show.

He was born in India and moved to England when still young, going on to attend boarding school in the UK from the age of seven.

The doctor originally started out with a career in banking in London, having studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Oxford. He later moved on to study medicine and attended UCL Medical School with the intentions of becoming a psychiatrist.

His TV career started in 1985 when he took part in a trainee assistant producer scheme at the BBC.

Throughout his career, Michael has released many books including The Fast 800, 4 Weeks To Better Sleep, The Fast Diet and The Clever Guts Diet. Some of his TV shows include Lose A Stone in 21 Days, Just One Thing, The Truth About Exercise and Secrets of Your Big Shop.

Michael met his wife, Clare Bailey at medical school and the pair got married in 1987. They have four children together, three boys and one girl; Alex, Dan, Jack and Kate.

Clare is also a doctor and a working GP as well as a health columnist, collaborating with Michael on a number of his projects throughout the years.