Michael Mosley was last seen on Wednesday when he set off, leaving his wife and his friends to go for a walk, ITV News’ Mahatir Pasha reports
A body has been found in the search for TV doctor and columnist Michael Mosley, who went missing on a Greek island.
The body and an umbrella were discovered in a rocky area beside Agia Marina on Symi on Sunday after an extensive search operation led by emergency workers.
The 67-year-old TV personality was last seen by friends at Agios Nikolaos beach on Wednesday, before going for a walk to the centre of the island.
The body, which is yet to be formally identified, was discovered beneath a fence that runs around a bar on Agia Marina beach, which is surrounded by hilly, rocky terrain that runs down to the sea.
Helicopters have searched the area “every day”, staff at the bar said.
Agia Marina bar manager Ilias Tsavaris, 38, first saw the body alongside journalists after the island’s mayor “saw something” by the fence of the bar and alerted staff.
He said: “They saw it with the boat. The mayor came and saw something so that is when they called me and said ‘Hey they saw something go and check there’.
“They called me, they said ‘You know what we saw something from far away, can you go and check’ so I went there.
“So when I walked up I saw something like a body to make sure. You don’t see a dead body everyday, it is not a warzone, it’s summer you are supposed to have fun and swimming.
“He came from Pedi OK, and he walked not through the restaurant. If he had walked through there (the bar) we would have checked the cameras.
The discovery comes after a four-day search operation for the 67-year-old broadcaster, who first trained as a doctor before moving in to the world of broadcasting.
Emergency workers have been trying to locate Mosley ever since he disappeared during a walk to the centre of the island at about 1.30pm Greek time (11.30am BST) on Wednesday.
Many questioned how anyone could survive in the heat that topped 40C on the day Mosley disappeared.
Papakaloudoukas said the area where Mosley is believed to have travelled through is “difficult to pass” and is “only rocks”.
It is also populated by “loads” of snakes, he said
Mosley is credited with popularising the 5:2 diet, a form of intermittent fasting, through his book The Fast Diet.
He has also made a number of series for Channel 4, including one which looked at why the UK is losing its battle with obesity after 30 years of government schemes trying to tackle the issue.
The broadcaster hosts a Radio 4 podcast, titled Just One Thing, where he reveals tips to help improve your health.
He recorded a special edition of the show at the Hay Festival on May 25 with Professor Tanya Byron.
Mosley is married to Clare Bailey, who is also a doctor, health columnist and author, and has four children.
In a statement released on Saturday, his wife said the past few days had been “unbearable” and thanked all those involved in the effort to find her husband.
She said: “It has been three days since Michael left the beach to go for a walk. The longest and most unbearable days for myself and my children.”
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