Missing British TV doctor Michael Mosley found dead on Greek island in apparent fall

Michael Mosley, a British TV personality who disappeared last week, was found dead Sunday on a small Greek island.

Mosley, 67, had gone for a walk on the island of Symi on Wednesday but never reached his intended destination. His wife, Dr. Clare Bailey Mosley, reported him missing that night.

Local authorities launched an extensive search for Mosley after he disappeared, while temperatures topped 100 degrees during the week. The island’s mayor, Lefteris Papakalodoukas, was on a boat with several members of the media when a photographer spotted Mosley’s body next to a fence on a rocky slope.

Mosley likely fell down the steep slope before crashing into the fence, according to Papakalodoukas. As cops went to pick up Mosley’s body, one of them fell down the same slope and had to be stretchered away from the scene.

“Michael was an adventurous man, it’s part of what made him so special,” she said Sunday 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.”

“Some of these people on the island, who hadn’t even heard of Michael, worked from dawn till dusk unasked,” Clare Bailey Mosley added. “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.”

In the U.K., Mosley was best known for his numerous TV appearances on various BBC channels, where he dished advice as a medical expert. He also appeared on radio programs and had a regular column in the Daily Mail.

He was known worldwide for popularizing certain diets that promised quick weight loss, including the Fast 800 and the 5:2 diet. The latter involved eating healthily for five days per week while drastically limiting calorie intake on the other two.

Additionally, Mosley was known for testing medical theories on himself. For a 2014 BBC special, “Infested! Living With Parasites,” Mosley lived with tapeworms in his gut for six weeks.

“Anyone who is thinking of popping parasites as a weight-loss device should think twice,” he told the BBC.

Symi is a small island that sits less than 10 miles from the Turkish coast and more than 250 miles southeast of Athens. It is a popular tourist destination for Brits.

With News Wire Services