The wife of British TV doctor and columnist Michael Mosley said it was “devastating” to have lost her “wonderful, funny, kind and brilliant husband” as she confirmed he has been found dead on the Greek island of Symi after going missing on Wednesday.
His body was discovered in a rocky area beside Agia Marina on Symi on Sunday after an extensive search led by emergency workers, about a 30-minute walk from the village of Pedi where Mosley was last seen on CCTV.
The 67-year-old television personality was with his wife and friends at Agios Nikolaos beach on Wednesday, before going alone for a walk to the centre of the island.
In a statement from his agent, Dr Clare Bailey Mosley said: “I don’t know quite where to begin with this. It’s devastating to have lost Michael, my wonderful, funny, kind and brilliant husband.
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“We had an incredibly lucky life together. We loved each other very much and were so happy together. I am incredibly proud of our children, their resilience and support over the past days.
“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.
“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. Michael was an adventurous man, it’s part of what made him so special.”
She said the family were also “so grateful to the extraordinary people on Symi” who worked “tirelessly” to help find Mosley, with some working from dawn until dusk unasked.
Dr Bailey Mosley 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. Thank you all.”
Emergency workers had been trying to locate the TV personality in Symi after he disappeared during a walk to the centre of the island on Wednesday. Previous footage from a house at the edge of Pedi’s small marina showed the presenter walking towards a mountainous path at about 2pm local time on Wednesday.
Dr Bailey Mosley said the three days he had been missing had been the “longest and most unbearable days” for her and her children. Mosley’s four children had joined their mother on Symi to help with the search efforts.
The mayor of Symi, Eleftherios Papakaloudoukas, had vowed to continue the extensive search operation, which has involved police, firefighters with drones, and divers operating in dangerous conditions and high temperatures, until he was found.
The mayor said the area where Mosley was believed to have travelled through was “difficult to pass” and was “only rocks”, as well as being populated by “loads” of snakes.
Speaking through a translator, the mayor of 22 years questioned how anyone could survive in the heat that topped 40 degrees on the day Mosley disappeared.
The search to find Mosley was described as a “race against time” by one of the rescuers.
Michael Mosley was known for popularising the 5:2 diet and for his appearances on BBC’s The One Show and This Morning on ITV, in the Pedi area on Wednesday. – PA
