Post-mortem finds presenter died of natural causes, police say

An initial post-mortem examination on the body of Dr Michael Mosley has concluded he died of natural causes, the BBC has been told.

The TV presenter’s remains were found in a rocky area on the Greek island of Symi on Sunday – four days after he went missing while on holiday.

Greek police spokeswoman Konstantia Dimoglidou told the BBC that the initial post-mortem found no injuries on his body that could have caused his death.

Dr Mosley’s time of death was around 16:00 (14:00BST) on Wednesday, the day he went missing.

Ms Dimoglidou said the initial conclusion that Dr Mosley died of natural causes was based on the position his body was found in, as well as a lack of injuries.

A toxicology report and a histology report have now been ordered.

The BBC has seen CCTV footage that appears to show Dr Mosley disappear from view as he slowly makes his way down a hillside close to where his body was later found.

The recording, taken near to the Agia Marina beach bar, is the last known footage of Dr Mosley.

The 67-year-old father-of-four was reported missing after he left Agios Nikolaos beach to set off on a walk at about 13:30 local time (11:30 BST) on Wednesday. Dr Mosley’s wife, Dr Clare Bailey Mosley, raised the alarm after her husband did not return.

Greek authorities conducted an extensive search for Dr Mosley amid high temperatures, deploying police officers, firefighters, divers and a helicopter.

A bar manager found his body after the island’s mayor “saw something” by the fence of the bar and alerted staff, PA news agency reported.

A police source told BBC News he had been dead “for a number of days”.

Dr Bailey Mosley said on Sunday that her family was “taking comfort in the fact” that her husband “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,” Dr Bailey Mosley said in a statement.

She also paid tribute to her “wonderful, funny, kind and brilliant” husband after the “devastating” news his body had been found.

“We had an incredibly lucky life together,” Dr Bailey Mosley said.

“We loved each other very much and were so happy together.”

The former deputy leader of the Labour Party, Lord Tom Watson, was among those to pay fresh tributes to Dr Mosley on Monday.

“He certainly changed my life. He gave me the idea that I wasn’t broken,” Mr Watson, who said in 2018 that he had “reversed” his type 2 diabetes through diet and exercise, told the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

Dr Mosley studied medicine in London and qualified as a doctor, and for the last two decades was working as a presenter, documentary maker, journalist and author.

He was known for his TV programmes including Trust Me, I’m a Doctor, and BBC Radio 4’s Just One Thing podcast. He also wrote a column for the Daily Mail.

Mr Mosley had been an advocate for intermittent fasting diets, including through the 5:2 diet and The Fast 800 diet.

Dr Saleyha Ahsan, who co-presented Trust Me, I’m a Doctor with Dr Mosley, told the BBC’s Breakfast programme she was initially “terrified” to take on the role but that he “put me at ease almost immediately”.

She added: “That really personable, accessible character [that] comes across on television, that’s exactly how he was in real life.

“He did incredible things for medicine and for public health in a way that I think few others have.”

Lord Watson recalled the moment he first read a book by Dr Mosley, saying it was “like a light came on in my life”.

“I just became a real fan of his work and, over the years, he’s helped me maintain that and help millions of others,” he said.

“And that’s what great journalism is: he explained very complex ideas of science in a very simple way.”

Former BBC creative director Alan Yentob, who worked closely with Dr Mosley during his time at the broadcaster, told BBC News: “It is a tragedy, there’s no question about it. But for many people, they’re reminded of how extraordinarily he helped to transform their lives.”

He described Dr Mosely as “an adventurer” with a “curious and creative” spirit, adding that he leaves behind an “incredible legacy”.

“He made people feel there was a real opportunity to change things and that the challenge was exciting and playful as well,” he said.

Science broadcaster Dr Chris van Tulleken, who also worked with Dr Mosley, said his former colleague had invented “an entire genre of broadcasting” over the course of his career.

He added that Dr Mosley’s work “quietly changed my daily practices”, from brushing his teeth while standing on one leg to sometimes fasting.

“He was giving people tools they could use that everyone could afford,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

Calypso Haggett, Dr Mosley’s business partner and chief executive of The Fast 800 weight-loss programme, said in a statement that he was a “shining light for the whole team”.

“I had the great privilege of knowing Michael both professionally and personally. He really, truly was one of a kind and will be terribly missed by everyone,” said Ms Haggett.

“Michael has left an incredible legacy, which I know will live on and energise a continuous movement for better health.”

Downing Street said that Dr Mosley would be known “as an extraordinary broadcaster who used his platform to influence and change the way we think about many public health issues”.