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‘Horrifying’ moment Dr Michael Mosley was finally found

A reporter on the Greek island of Symi has recounted the “chaotic” moment British TV star Dr Michael Mosely’s body was discovered.

British presenter Michael Mosley found dead on Greek island

A journalist on the scene on the Greek island of Symi has recounted the “horrifying” moment British TV star Dr Michael Mosley’s body was discovered.

The Sun reporter Ed Southgate was among the media who’d descended on the small Greek island amid the search for Mosley, who had gone missing on June 4 while holidaying with his wife.

Moseley had left St Nikolas beach solo and without his phone, traversing a rocky path in 40c temperatures and making it to nearby Symi Town.

It would be five days until his body was eventually found on a rocky slope near Agia Marina, which would’ve been another taxing walk in the blistering heat for the 67-year-old TV doc.

Tragically, he died just metres from the safety of a popular beach bar, where his body lay undiscovered among the rocks as rescuers searched the island.

Dr Michael Mosley pictured on the Greek island of Symi before he went missing. Picture: Facebook
Dr Michael Mosley pictured on the Greek island of Symi before he went missing. Picture: Facebook
The doctor was also a much-loved TV personality.
The doctor was also a much-loved TV personality.

Southgate said that he and Sun photographer Simon Jones were at the beach bar, filming a piece about Mosley’s disappearance, when they were interrupted by the bar’s manager “who was indicating he had seen something on the other side of the barbed wire fence.”

They raced over to look for themselves, and saw the body.

Southgate writes that he “froze … It was horrifying and incredibly overwhelming. I was hit by an intense shock and sadness. I felt sick and at several points I was on the verge of tears.”

He said he immediately rushed back to the restaurant to raise the alarm, and the scene then became “chaotic” as staff contacted police, and tried to keep tourists away from their grim discovery.

Mosley made it all the way to a bear bar, but died just metres from help. Picture: The Sun
Mosley made it all the way to a bear bar, but died just metres from help. Picture: The Sun

“The tragedy of this is that he was just yards from the beach resort where he could have sat and had water,” Southgate noted.

Mosley’s wife Dr Claire Bailey shared similar sentiments as she confirmed her husband’s death in a statement.

“We’re taking comfort in the fact that he so very nearly made it,” she said.

“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.

“We are so grateful to the extraordinary people on Symi who have worked tirelessly to help find him.”

Bar manager Ilias Tsavaris made the grim discovery. Picture: Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty
Bar manager Ilias Tsavaris made the grim discovery. Picture: Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty
Security camera footage appeared to show Mosley in the village of Pedi on the day he died.
Security camera footage appeared to show Mosley in the village of Pedi on the day he died.

Mosley’s body was discovered by the bar manager after the mayor of Symi reportedly “saw something” from his viewpoint a boat and notified staff.

“They called me, they said ‘You know what we saw something from far away, can you go and check’ so I went there,” Agia Marina bar manager Ilias Tsavaris told The Mirror.

“So when I walked up I saw something like a body to make sure.”

Mosley was a popular TV talking head in the UK and here in Australia, a doctor with a high media profile who regularly appeared on chat shows and presented documentaries about diet and exercise. In recent years he presented the series Australia’s Health Revolution and Australia’s Sleep Revolution for SBS.

He is survived by Claire, who he married in 1987, and their four children.

Originally published as ‘Horrifying’ moment Dr Michael Mosley was finally found

Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/horrifying-moment-dr-michael-mosley-was-finally-found/news-story/567b9a8b95e3a1e3339b452f5538f2f9