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The body of missing British TV presenter Michael Moseley has been found on a Greek island after a days-long search, his family has confirmed.
A police spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity yesterday (last night AEST) because of an ongoing investigation, said a body had been found on a rocky shore by a private boat and that official identification was pending.
Moseley’s wife said in a statement released hours later that her husband took the wrong route on a hike and collapsed in a place where his body could not be easily seen.
“Michael was an adventurous person, that’s part of what made him so special,” said Dr Claire Bailey Moseley.
“It is devastating to lose Michael, my wonderful, funny, kind and brilliant husband. We had an incredibly happy life together. We loved each other very much and were so happy together.’
She thanked the people of Simi Island – where a search and rescue operation had been underway since Wednesday – who she said had worked tirelessly to find him.
“Some of these people on the island who had never even heard of Michael were working from dawn to dusk, unsolicited,” she said.
“My family and I have been extremely comforted by the outpouring of love from people all over the world. It is clear that Michael meant an enormous amount to so many of you.’
Lefteris Papakalodoukas, the island’s mayor, told The Associated Press he was on the boat with members of the media when they saw a body about 20 meters above Agia Marina beach shortly after 10am (5pm AEST).
“We zoomed in with the cameras and saw it was him,” he said.
The mayor said the body appeared to have fallen down a steep, rocky slope, came to rest next to a fence and lay face up with several rocks on top of it.
As police officers were removing Moseley’s body, one fell on the slope and had to be carried out on a stretcher, local media reported. The body will be taken to the nearby island of Rhodes for an autopsy.
The body had a leather bag in one hand, said Antonis Mistiloglu, a cameraman from state broadcaster ERT who was also on the boat.
Moseley, 67, is believed to have gone for a coastal walk along St Nicholas Beach on Wednesday afternoon while on holiday on the island, which is a popular tourist destination.
Mosley is well known in Britain for his regular appearances on television and radio and for his column in Daily Mail newspaper.
He is known outside the UK for his 2013 book The fast dietwhich he co-authored with journalist Mimi Spencer.
The 5:2 Diet describes how people can lose weight fast by minimizing calorie intake two days a week while eating healthy the other five.
At least 100 rescuers and volunteers, including a helicopter, were searching the area between Agios Nikolaos and the island’s main town for the 67-year-old.
In a statement yesterday, Moseley’s wife Claire said the days her husband was missing had been “the longest and most excruciating”.
“The search continues and our family is extremely grateful to the people of Symi, the Greek authorities and the British Consulate who are working tirelessly to help find Michael,” she said.
The couple’s children also headed to the island to help with the search.
He later introduced the Fast 800 diet, a rapid weight loss program, and made a number of diet and exercise films.
Moseley often pushed his body to extremes to see the effects of his diets.
He lived with a tapeworm in his gut for six weeks for the BBC documentary infected! Life with parasiteswith
Moseley has four children with his wife, Claire Bailey Moseley, who is also a physician, author and health columnist.
– Reported with the Associated Press
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