Body found in Symi searches for missing presenter Michael Mosley

A body has been found during the search for TV and radio presenter Dr Michael Mosley on the Greek island of Symi.

The 67-year-old disappeared on Wednesday after going for a walk from Agios Nikolaos beach.

The body – which has not yet been formally identified – was found on a hill near the Agia Marina beach bar in the early hours of Sunday.

Symi Mayor Eleftherios Papakalodouka said the body was found while teams were searching the coastline with cameras.

A police source told BBC News that the deceased had been dead “for several days”.

The body was found near a fence, with an umbrella nearby, about a 30-minute walk from the village of Pedi where Dr Mosley was last seen.

It has not been moved from the location, just a few meters from where children play in the water on Agia Marina beach.

A bar manager who was with journalists found the body, the PA news agency reported, after the island's mayor “saw something” near the bar's fence and alerted staff.

Ilias Tsavaris, bar manager at Agia Marina, said: “They called me, they said, ‘You know what, we saw something far away, you can go check it out.’ So I went.

“So when I got there, I saw something that looked like a body.”

Rescuers were monitoring the area every day with helicopters, he added.

A coroner is sent to Symi. Police spokeswoman Konstantia Dimoglidou said BBC authorities had to rule out any possibility that the death was the result of foul play.

“We need to have a first look at the causes of death and know if [it] preceded the person's fall to the ground,” Ms. Dimoglidou said.

Greek authorities conducted extensive searches for Dr Mosley over five days amid high temperatures.

The effort involved firefighters, dogs, helicopters, drones, local people and officers from Symi and off-island.

On Saturday, BBC News obtained CCTV footage showing one of the last known sightings of a man believed to be Dr Mosley walking with an umbrella next to the Pedi village marina on Wednesday.

His four children had also joined his wife, Dr Clare Bailey Mosley, on the island.

Dr Mosley was first reported missing after leaving Agios Nikolaos beach to go for a walk at around 1.30pm local time (11.30am BST).

His wife then reported him missing.

Dr Mosley studied medicine in London and qualified as a doctor. two for decades he has worked as a presenter, documentarian, journalist and author.

He is known for his television programs including Trust Me, I'm a Doctor and the BBC Radio 4 podcast Just One Thing.

He regularly appeared on BBC One's The One Show and ITV's This Morning, and was a columnist for the Daily Mail.

He is known for popularizing the 5:2 and Fast 800 diets, which advocate intermittent fasting and low-carb meals.

His diets have attracted a lot of attention in the past, both for their methods and their scientific accuracy.

Although qualified as a doctor, Mosley was no longer registered as a doctor.

Wednesday 1:30 p.m. local time (11:30 a.m. BST) – Dr Michael Mosley leaves his wife Clare on Agios Nikolaos beach and goes for a walk

1:50 p.m. – A man carrying an umbrella is seen on CCTV in Pedi

1357 – The same man is seen again at Pedi Marina heading northeast

Thursday 11:15 a.m. – The police are unable to find the presenter, so they inform Athens and ask for help from the Greek firefighters.

2:00 p.m. – Greek firefighters, with six firefighters and a drone team, arrive in Symi

1900 – Helicopter deployed to assist in searches

Friday – Divers join searches in waters around Symi

Saturday 6:00 a.m. – Firefighters resume Dr. Mosley's search

2:00 p.m. – His wife Clare says the Mosley family “won't give up hope” and thanks those involved in the search.

Sunday – Authorities searching for Dr. Mosley find body

Additional reporting by Nikos Papanikolaou