'Devastating': Dr Mosley's wife shares grief after body found

Dr Mosley was reported missing while on a Greek island holiday in the Aegean with his wife on June 5.

The body was found on June 9 near a beach close to the village of Agia Marina. Forensic work to formally identify the body is under way.

Symi's mayor, Lefteris Papakalodoukas, told The Associated Press he was on a boat with members of the media when they saw a body about 20 meters above the Agia Marina beach a little after 10am.

"We zoomed with the cameras and saw it was him," he said.

The mayor said that the body appeared to have fallen down a steep slope, stopping against a fence and lying face-up with a few rocks on top of it.

The body had a leather bag in one hand, said Antonis Mystiloglou, a cameraman with state TV ERT, who was also on the boat.

Dr Mosley's wife Clare Bailey Mosley said the family was "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," she said.

"Michael was an adventurous man, it's part of what made him so special."

"It's devastating to have lost Michael, my wonderful, funny, kind and brilliant husband. 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," she said.

"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 are so grateful to the extraordinary people on Symi who have worked tirelessly to help find him. Some of these people on the island, who hadn't even heard of Michael, worked from dawn till dusk unasked. Thank you all."

Dr Mosley worked as a journalist, author and documentary filmmaker after studying medicine in London.

The Emmy Award winner presented for the BBC since 2007 and is known for shows including Trust Me, I'm A Doctor, Australia's Health Revolution and The Genius of Invention among others.

Dr Mosley's former colleagues and admirers have also shared their grief over the presenter's unexpected death.

Physicist and former D:Ream musician Brian Cox said Dr Mosley's death was a loss to the scientific community.

"He was such an important figure both on and off screen in the BBC science unit, and as a mentor to many of us when we started out in science presenting," Professor Cox said on X.

"And, as many of our colleagues have already said on here, he was a genuinely lovely man."

TV chef Jamie Oliver has shared his heartache over Dr Mosley's death saying "what a wonderfully sweet, kind and gentle man he was".

The 15-Minute Meals chef said "he did such a lot of good for public health with his TV shows and research," and he "changed the conversation around many public health issues for the better".

Pop star Peter Andre was "absolutely devastated" Dr Mosley's death saying he was a "wonderful human being".

This Is Going To Hurt writer and former doctor Adam Kay said the news of Dr Mosley's death was "desperately sad".

"My thoughts with his family - may his memory be a blessing," he said on X.