Michael Mosley – latest: TV doctor leaves Britain for the better, says friend in moving BBC tribute

The 67-year-old, who died on Greek island of Symi, ‘changed how we see ourselves, our health and wellbeing’

Michael Mosley caught on CCTV the day he disappeared

The late television and radio doctor Michael Mosley leaves Britain for the better, after showing millions of people how to improve their health and wellbeing in easy ways, a friend and former colleague has said.

Scientist and broadcaster Dr Hannah Fry said in a special BBC documentary: “Dr Michael Mosley achieved what so many broadcasters dream of: he made a difference to people’s lives, changing the way we see ourselves, our health and our wellbeing.

“And in doing that for so many people, for so many years, he leaves Britain for the better.”

Dr Mosley , who died after disappearing on a walk on the Greek island of Symi, was aksi hailed as “one of the most important broadcasters of recent decades” in a special BBC Radio 4 programme.

It comes as his body is likely to be released to his family and repatriated by the weekend.

He was found to have died of natural causes on 5 June after setting off for a walk from Saint Nikolas beach at around 1.30pm that day in searing 40C heat without a mobile phone.

Key Points

• Doctor touched millions of lives in the most modest of ways, BBC documentary-maker says
• ‘There was little Dr Mosley wouldn’t do for science’
• Mosley’s body likely to be repatriated by weekend
• Dr Mosley was ‘invited to appear on Strictly weeks before death’

[14 June 2024 05:30 · Maroosha Muzaffar]

‘I wanted to bring him back alive’: Volunteer who led search for TV doctor Michael Mosley

A huge, shocked group of press and bystanders gathered on Sunday afternoon to watch the conclusion to a story which has gripped the world over the last few days.

The body of TV doctor Michael Mosley, 67, was spotted that morning from a boat by a British TV reporter after a search which had taken over the entire island of Symi, in Greece.

The former medical personality, author of the popular fasting diet known as the 5:2, had almost made it to safety before he died.

Emergency rescue teams, who were searching just 50m from where Dr Mosley was found, were clearly devastated as his body was carried away.

Volunteers and emergency workers tried to locate him from 7am until 3am for three days in a row - but had missed his body by metres.

Jannis and Sophia Volas, who have been married for 37 years and have two sons, were the chief volunteers leading the search operation.

The couple’s endless search took place through unrelenting heat over jagged rocks, where poisonous snakes were hiding.

The pair paused only to make enough money to support their family – Ms Volas working in a Symi bakery, and Mr Volas a plasterer and blacksmith – but their tanned faces and evident exhaustion showed just how hard they had searched.

Read more here:

[14 June 2024 05:00 · Maroosha Muzaffar]

Michael Mosley was ‘invited to appear on Strictly weeks before death’ after championing health benefits

Michael Mosley had been invited to take part in Strictly Come Dancing, a friend has said, after championing the health benefits of dancing.

The late TV star was reportedly excited as he told friends the BBC had invited him to be on the show for its 20th anniversary just weeks before his tragic death.

Dr Mosley, 67, died of natural causes last week after he went missing on the Greek island of Symi, having gone on a walk in searing 40C heat without a mobile phone. Following a major five-day search, his body was found on Sunday in a rocky area near Agia Marina beach.

Read more here:

[14 June 2024 04:45 · Maroosha Muzaffar]

Tourists unaware of risks of heatwave, rescuers say

As Greece faces unusually high temperatures, concerns are rising about the lack of awareness among tourists regarding the risks of trekking in the extreme heat.

Following the death of TV presenter Michael Mosley on Symi, two other tourists are reported missing on Samos and Amorgos.

In recent days, emergency services have also been deployed to these remote islands to search for an elderly Dutch man and a US national who went missing while hiking.

Dimitris Katatzis, who heads the Samos rescue team, said that missions were often made more difficult because tourists, frequently unaware of the risks, “veered off track” to see sites and then got lost, the Guardian reported.

A search and rescue operation is under way for TV doctor and columnist Michael Mosley (Yui Mok/PA Wire)

“Yesterday we saw a couple [of foreigners] walking a trail in 41C without hats,” he told local media. “It defies logic.”

With record-high temperatures already being recorded, local officials are calling for improved safety measures and better information for visitors to prevent further tragedies.

[14 June 2024 04:00 · Matt Mathers]

ICYMI: American tourist, 59, vanishes from Greek Island solo hike – days after TV doctor Michael Mosley’s death

Rescue operations have been launched on the Greek island of Amorgos after a retired US police officer disappeared while out on a solo hike - days after the death of TV doctor Michael Mosley in similar circumstances.

Eric Calibet, 59, had been vacationing on the island but was reported missing by a friend on Tuesday afternoon.

Full report:

[14 June 2024 03:00 · Matt Mathers]

ICYMI: ‘Dr Michael Mosley would often tell me how his own health battles were the inspiration for his work’

From the daily routine Mosley kept with his wife, to fighting insomnia and reversing his type 2 diabetes, Maria Lally, who regularly talked to the presenter, reflects on the man who always lived by the rules that he set for others, changing not only his own health but that of a generation...

Read Maria’s piece in full here:

[14 June 2024 02:00 · Matt Mathers]

ICYMI: British TV reporter describes ‘chance’ moment he spotted Michael Mosley’s body after days-long search

A British TV reporter was the person who finally spotted Michael Mosley’s body several days after the doctor went missing, despite a huge search and rescue operation across a Greek island.

David Blackmore, 37, who has worked as a producer and reporter for This Morning since 2015, was supposed to be interviewing the mayor of Symi when he arrived to find Eleftherios Papakalodouka boarding a boat at Pedi marina and jumped aboard.

Full report:

[14 June 2024 01:00 · Matt Mathers]

ICYMI: New CCTV footage reveals last sighting of Dr Michael Mosley two hours before tragic death

Newly released CCTV footage has revealed one of the last sightings of Dr Michael Mosley just two hours before his tragic death on a Greek island hillside.

The 67-year-old died of natural causes on Wednesday after he went missing on Symi. Following a major five-day search, his body was discovered on Sunday in a rocky area near Agia Marina beach.

Full report:

[14 June 2024 00:00 · Tara Cobham]

Watch: Reporter who spotted Dr Mosley’s body details moment of discovery

[13 June 2024 23:00 · Tara Cobham]

New CCTV footage reveals last sighting of Dr Mosley two hours before tragic death

CCTV footage has revealed one of the last sightings of Dr Michael Mosley just two hours before his tragic death on a Greek island hillside.

Greek police earlier this week released CCTV of what appears to be the TV star walking in the searing heat at 2pm on the day he died.

The footage shows the health guru holding a purple umbrella as he walks to a path that leads towards Agia Marina 1.5 miles away, which is where initial autopsy findings state he likely died at around 4pm. In the video, he appears to pass a house that has a tarpaulin-covered speedboat in the driveway.

Read the full story here:

[13 June 2024 22:00 · Tara Cobham]

Watch: Dr Mosley’s possible journey on Symi detailed by Greece local