In her first interview since Dr Michael Mosley’s mysterious death, Dr Clare Bailey Mosley paid tribute to the popular doctor, who appeared on shows like The One Show
Dr Michael Mosley’s widow has revealed her last moments with the popular TV doctor as she opened up on her grief in her first interview since her husband’s mysterious death.
Michael – known for TV appearances on shows like The One Show over the course of his career – tragically died in June last year whilst on holiday on the Greek island of Symi. The 67-year-old had gone missing on the trip after going for a walk and his body was discovered days later following search efforts.
Dr Clare Bailey Mosley has now recalled what happened last year after she arrived, with her husband, to Symi by ferry in the evening of June 4 to stay with friends at their villa. She said: “We’d only been there for half a day before it happened.”
READ MORE: Dr Michael Mosley’s son shares sweet tribute as he admits grief is ‘bittersweet’
She said that after settling in, reading their books and going for a dip in the pool, Michael “got bored” as he wasn’t enjoying his book and didn’t like spending time on the beach. “So he said, ‘I’m going exploring. I’m off for a walk,” Dr Clare recalled, adding that she gave her husband her bottle of water and saying he had an umbrella to shield him from the sun.
The grieving woman said her late husband left the villa at 1.30pm after receiving “instructions on where to walk” and “set off at a good pace, his rucksack on his back, up a steep hill.” Clare said Michael didn’t bring his phone with him as he “didn’t want to risk it getting wet on the boat.”
Recalling their last goodbye, Clare said: “It was just an ordinary exchange of words as he went off for his walk. Very banal. I don’t think there was even a kiss.” While Michael went for a walk, Clare and her friend spent the afternoon on the beach before returning home – and at that point they became concerned as they noticed that her husband hadn’t returned.
“When we got there and found that Michael wasn’t back we were concerned. Had he walked directly, he’d have been there in under an hour,” Clare told the Daily Mail. “Feeling things weren’t right, we went to the police station and reported him missing.”
However, they were told that the police couldn’t do anything until 48 hours had passed since his disappearance – making Clare even more worried as temperatures had reached 40C. “I had to push really hard, but finally they agreed to get a local search-and-rescue team out,” Clare said. Michael’s body was eventually found on June 9.
In December 2024, a coroner recorded an open conclusion regarding the cause of his death. Senior coroner for Buckinghamshire, Crispin Butler, said Dr Mosley’s death was classified as “indeterminate” and most likely down to heatstroke or a non-identified pathological cause.
In written findings, Mr Butler said the doctor’s death was not found to be a result of homicide, suicide, or an accident related to injuries. He wrote: “No medical cause of death could be ascertained, meaning Michael’s death may have been due to a medical event or as a result of a non-traumatic accident.”
Clare described her husband as “a maverick, a bit of a risk-taker.” She said, of Michael: “He pushed boundaries. I loved him for that; it made him so special. He was unorthodox and just so brilliant.”
Earlier this year, Dr Jack Mosley spoke about the loss of his father as he has shared pride over his late parent’s achievements and said that one experience amid his grief has been “bittersweet”. Ahead of the first anniversary of Michael’s death, Jack spoke to The Times about his father – who offered advice, including on weight-loss, in his career – whilst promoting his own new book, Food Noise: How Weight Loss Medications & Smart Nutrition Can Silence Your Cravings.
Jack revealed in the interview that he hadn’t been able to listen to Michael’s BBC Radio 4 series Just One Thing until recently. The project – which was televised last year – involved Michael sharing “simple tips” to “change your life”.
Speaking to the outlet, Jack said: “It’s only in the past few weeks that I’ve been able to listen to his Just One Thing series And obviously that’s been bittersweet.” He added that the “whole reason” that Michael – who did shows like Trust Me, I’m a Doctor – is “still there” on radio, podcasts and TV is “something to be proud of”. He said that his late father “helped a lot of people lead better lives.”
Jack, who is training to be a GP, further paid tribute to Michael in the interview. He said that the broadcaster – who wrote several books, including on diets, in his career – had been “a maverick” and a “master self-experimenter”.