TV diet doctor Michael Mosley missing in Greece

Michael Mosley, the 67-year-old presenter famous for popularising the 5:2 diet, set off on a walk along a coastal route on a Greek island but failed to return to the villa where his wife and friends are staying.

Michael Mosley went missing on a walk on a Greek island.

Police and locals are searching for the television doctor Michael Mosley after he went missing while walking along a coastal route on a Greek island.

The 67-year-old presenter, famous for popularising the 5:2 diet, set off on a walk on Wednesday afternoon after visiting a secluded beach with his wife, Dr Clare Bailey, and friends.

Having travelled to Saint Nicholas beach on the island of Symi on a taxi-boat, Mosley is understood to have set off on the walk home alone after growing tired. A rocky pathway with steep sections connects the beach with Pedi, a nearby town. Mosley and his wife are understood to have been staying at a villa in Symi’s main harbour town with another couple.

When Mosley set out on the walk, which is about a kilometre long and should have taken about 25 minutes, temperatures on the island were in the mid-thirties. Mosley’s wife, 62, a doctor who is also a well-known writer and media figure, raised the alarm with local police six hours later.

A search operation involving local police began on Wednesday evening. When the team was unable to locate him, a request was sent to Athens for further assistance and a team of firefighters arrived from the nearby island of Rhodes on Thursday afternoon. A police sniffer dog and drone have been deployed to scour the area around the craggy path and a helicopter has now arrived on the island to assist searches.

Police said that Mosley had left his phone at his holiday accommodation, so the device could not be used to trace his whereabouts. Those leading the operation said that they were open to all possibilities, including that Mosley may have fallen from a height.

Constantina Dimoglidou, a senior police spokesman, said: “We have now asked the fire brigade to assist in the operation in the case that he may have slipped, tripped, fallen, even bitten by a snake, remaining injured somewhere.”

Symi is one of the furthest Aegian islands. Picture: iStock

Police are investigating a possible sighting of Mosley in Pedi on Wednesday afternoon and are reviewing CCTV footage from the area. The island’s deputy mayor Ilias Chaskas said that a woman may have spotted Mosley on a road, but this claim has yet to be verified.

A senior investigator said: “The search will continue for as long as it takes. It is just baffling that he cannot be found on such a small island.”

A picture of Mosley on holiday was included in a social media post seeking information on his whereabouts.

Lefteris Papakalodoukas, the mayor of Symi, told the Kathimerini local newspaper that temperatures were “unbearable” on Wednesday.

Mosley is one of Britain’s best known television doctors, having starred in several BBC and Channel 4 documentaries, including Who Made Britain Fat?, How To Sleep Well and Secrets of Your Big Shop. He is a regular guest on BBC1’s The One Show and ITV’s This Morning, as well as a columnist for the Daily Mail and host of the BBC podcast Just One Thing.

Mosley’s friends from the media world expressed concern about his welfare. Jeremy Vine, the BBC Radio 2 presenter, said: “I’m praying this lovely man is found and thinking of Clare and the whole Mosley family.”

Leanne Klein, chief executive of the TV production company Wall to Wall, who has worked Mosley for many years said that there was widespread worry.

“It’s a really awful time and lots of people in the industry are very worried about him,” she said. “He is a delightful and clever man who is unbelievably dedicated to his work. The range of programs he has worked on, both as a presenter and a producer, show just how versatile he is. It will be awful for his wife and children and everyone hopes that he is found safe and well soon.”

Locals have joined the search for Mosley on the island. A request for information was sent out via a local Facebook group, with a photograph of Mosley wearing a blue polo shirt, baseball cap and sunglasses.

The message read: “Have you seen this man? He set off to walk back from St Nick’s at about 13.30 and failed to make it home. His friends are concerned as it is six hours since they last saw him.

“His name is Dr Mike Mosley and he is a familiar face for many British people as he has appeared on the BBC. The police and coastguard have been informed [and] EMAK, the island’s rescue team, is also involved.”

Mosley was born in Kolkata, India, in 1957, and went on to study PPE at Oxford, working as a banker for a short spell before retraining as a psychiatrist and later joining the BBC in 1985.

He and Bailey met at medical school 44 years ago. They have four adult children — three sons and a daughter — and live in Buckinghamshire. The couple appeared at the Hay Festival together last month.

Symi is one of Greece’s most distant eastern Aegean outposts, closer to Turkey than mainland Greece, and has a population of about 2,600 people.

Said to be the birthplace of the mythical Three Graces and named after the nymph Syme, it lies in the Dodecanese archipelago, the largest island of which is Rhodes. Significantly quieter than other Greek islands, such as nearby Rhodes, it is popular as a more relaxed holiday destination, known for its scenic walking routes.

Mosley spent last weekend at his Beaconsfield home before travelling to the Greek island. Neighbours in the UK were shocked at the news of his disappearance and united in their hopes that he will be found unharmed.

“Michael was very loved by his neighbours,” one said. “Our thoughts are with Clare and the family.” They added: “We see them as neighbours and not TV stars.”

Mosley’s neighbours described him as a quiet and private person who would blossom into life when he assumed his “stage persona”.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who is missing in Greece and are in contact with the local authorities.”

The Times