TV diet guru Dr Michael Mosley has gone missing in Greece after setting off for a coastal walk.
The disappearance of the expert who popularised the 5:2 diet has prompted a massive search operation on the Greek island of Symi.
Dr Mosley, one of the hosts of the podcast Just One Thing, set off hiking along St Nicholas Beach on June 5 at 1.30pm local time (11.30pm BST).
After he failed to return home to the Pedi area by 7.30pm local time (5.30pm BST) that same day, his wife Dr Clare Bailey alerted the authorities, who began tracing the route the diet guru may have undertaken.
The search and rescue team involved in the operation reportedly includes volunteers, drones flying overhead, the Coast Guard searching the sea and the fire brigade scouring Symi’s forests and hills.
Shedding light on which path Dr Mosley may have taken when he set off for his walk, a police source reportedly with intimate knowledge of the search and rescue operation told the Daily Mail: “We have also applied to the civil protection ministry in Athens for a helicopter and special dogs to be brought in.
“We are focusing on the area of the path we believe Michael would have taken from the beach in Ayios Nikolaos [St Nicholas] to Pedi but as so much time has elapsed since he went missing we have also expanded our search to other parts of the island.”
This leads to believe Dr Mosley may have undertaken the hiking trail linking the port of Symi and St Nicholas Beach.
Departing from the port, the route crosses Chora and ascends to the Chorio district, before turning eastwards towards the small village of Pedi, according to Alltrails.com.
Speaking about the trail, the website added: “Following the coastline, the path leads to the beautiful, sandy beach with fine gravel of Agios Nikolaos [St Nicholas]. At the edge of the beach is the small chapel of Agios Nikolaos. The beach can be reached either on foot following the path or by boat.”
An appeal shared in a local community group on Facebook following Dr Mosley’s disappearance stated the diet guru had “set off to walk back from St Nick’s at about 13.30”.
The post acknowledged Dr Mosley’s popularity and his numerous appearances on TV programmes including the BBC’s The One Show and ITV’s This Morning, as it said: “His name is Dr Mike Mosley and he is a familiar face for many British people.”
While the search operation is ongoing, the Hellenic National Meteorological Service has warned about “excessive heat” throughout the Dodecanese Islands, which include Symi.
