TV colleagues and fans of Mail columnist and diet guru Dr Michael Mosley are today praying that he is found safe and sound after he went missing on a Greek resort island.
Police fear Dr Mosley, 67, may have “fallen from a height” after going for a walk on St Nicholas beach in Symi at 1.30pm on Wednesday.
Martin Lewis, founder of moneySavingexpert.com and Michael’s ITV colleague, tweeted this afternoon that he was “disturbed” to learn the father-of-four had gone missing. “I hope she’s okay,” he said.
Radio 2 presenter and Channel 5 talk show host Jeremy Vine wrote in a social media post: “Praying they find this lovely man and thinking of Clare and all the Mosley family.”
Trust Me I’m A Doctor star Saleyha Ahsan wrote on social media that the news was “shocking” and that she hoped Mosley was “found safe.”
“I literally feel sick with worry,” Ahsan added. “I don’t even know what to say.”
Fans flooded a Facebook community group for Symi with posts wishing him well and with prayers that he would be “found soon.”
This is the photo of Dr Mosley released with an appeal after he went missing while walking on holiday in Greece on Wednesday. Has not been found yet
Police fear Dr Mosley, 67, may have “fallen from a height” after going for a walk on St Nicholas beach, north of Symi, at 1.30pm on Wednesday.
Dr Mosley’s wife Dr Clare Bailey (pictured together), a GP and also a Mail columnist, raised the alarm after her husband of almost 40 years failed to return from a walk. A massive search is underway
Dr Mosley’s wife, Dr Clare Bailey, 62, a GP and also a Mail columnist, raised the alarm after her husband of almost 40 years failed to return at 7.30pm Local authorities began tracing the route during the night but could not locate him.
Athens has assembled a search and rescue team for the Mail columnist, with drones and sophisticated equipment to extend the operation this morning. The Hellenic coast guard monitors the waters near its last known location in northeast Symi.
Chief police spokesperson Constantina Dimoglidou said Dr Mosley has not yet been found, but revealed that the search has been expanded.
“We have asked the fire brigade to assist in the operation in case you have slipped, tripped, fallen or even been bitten by a snake and been injured somewhere,” he said.
‘There’s just no trace of him. “None at all and that means that, at least for us, all potential scenarios are open and being investigated.”
By midday on Thursday, all of Greece’s emergency services had been supported by local authorities to find the Briton: the Hellenic coast guard scoured the seas, firefighters searched the forests and hills of the remote island, a drone flew over the site and volunteers also intervened.
“We have also requested the Ministry of Civil Protection in Athens to send us a helicopter and special dogs,” a senior police source with deep knowledge of the search and rescue operation told the Daily Mail.
Dr Mosley was on holiday with his wife in Symi (pictured) after completing a national tour together called: Eat (Well), Sleep (Better), Live (Longer)
“We are focusing on the area of the path we believe Michael would have taken from Ayios Nikolaos beach to Pedi, but as so much time has passed since his disappearance, we have also expanded our search to other parts of the island.
“At this time there are four police officers, eight firefighters, a drone and seven volunteers involved in the operation.”
Greek police officials acknowledged that the disappearance of such a prominent figure posed a huge challenge at the start of the tourist season.
“It is possible that he slipped and fell, perhaps due to a heart attack on the way,” the police source said. “At this point nothing can be ruled out.”
Meanwhile, a community Facebook group in Symi asked for information and uploaded a photo of Dr Mosley in shorts, a blue polo shirt, a baseball cap and sunglasses.
They wrote: ‘Have you seen this man? At around 1.30pm he set out to return from St Nick’s and did not make it home.
‘His friends are worried because it’s been 6 hours since they last saw him.
‘His name is Dr Mike Mosley and he is a familiar face to many Brits, having appeared on the BBC.
“The police and coastguard have been informed that EMAK, the island’s rescue team, is also involved.”
The Mail understands the police are leading the investigation, indicating they believe he has gone missing on land, but the coastguard is helping. Police at Athens headquarters said they too were aware and were “actively pursuing the case.”
Chief police spokesperson Constantina Dimoglidou said ongoing searches that began early this morning have yet to turn up any findings.
Dr Mosley is well known for his health advice, particularly on fasting, diet and sleep, and is one of the most trusted and authoritative medical voices in the British media and around the world.
Temperatures on the island, which lies off the coast of Rhodes, reached 30 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit) yesterday and remained warm overnight.
Dr. Mosley was on vacation with his wife after completing a cross-country tour together called: “Eat Well, Sleep Better, Live Longer.”
He is well known for his dietary advice, including his intermittent fasting plans, The Fast 800, and the 5:2 Diet, as well as advocating ketogenic and low-carb diets.
He also published a book about using diet to improve sleep, called Fast Asleep, after revealing that he suffered from chronic insomnia.
Dr Mosley appears regularly on his Just One Thing podcast and has become one of Britain’s most recognizable TV doctors.
He studied PPE at Oxford and initially tried working as an investment banker.
It was then that he retrained as a doctor and graduated after studying medicine at the Royal Free Hospital in London.
Dr Mosley joined the BBC as a trainee production assistant and, after producing programs for the broadcaster, became an on-screen presenter.
His wife, Dr Bailey, is a GP and also a Mail columnist.