Clare Bailey Mosley was left widowed last summer when her husband, TV doctor Michael Mosley, went for a walk on a Greek island only to tragically pass away in the island heat
Dr Michael Mosley’s widow has opened up about the heartbreaking loss of her husband. Clare Bailey Mosley was left devastated last summer when 67-year-old author, broadcaster and TV presenter Michael went missing while on the Greek island, Symi.
He was tragically found dead on 9 June after a four-day hunt, leaving behind Clare and his four children. An inquest last December recorded his death as “unascertainable” and that his death was “most likely attributable either to heat stroke (accidental) or non-identified pathological cause”.
Clare has reflected on the fateful day her husband went for a walk, only to never return. She recounted that he wanted to go for a walk while their friends stayed by a pool to sunbathe.
When her husband did not return for several hours, Clare grew concerned – and was conscious of the fact his planned journey would have taken one hour at the longest. While she was keen to raise the alarm, emergency services could not declare a person missing until after 48 hours.
The retired GP has recalled that she managed to plead with local police, who eventually agreed to send out a search party. Clare also helped with the search, with her anxiety growing as daylight began to fade.
She told the Daily Mail: “I spent a couple of hours walking along the coast and through trees and gorse calling his name. Every time I met someone, I asked, ‘Have you seen him?’
“Then it got dark. It became devastatingly obvious something had gone terribly wrong,” – adding that she was reduced to tears as panic took hold.
Clare went on to explain that she tried to keep hope aflame and found herself ironically hoping he had been kidnapped, as that would have meant he was alive. Tragically, his body was found after four days of searching.
Clare recalled: “After that, we all slumped. I could make no sense of anything. There was one photo of Michael on a stretcher with an arm sticking out, and, having seen it, I could not unsee it. It was so distressing, so poignant.
“And there was an amazing one, too, of the kids walking in a row, all dirty and dishevelled, looking exhausted after a day’s search, and they looked so purposeful and wholesome. That lifted me.”
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.”
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 shared pride over his late parents’ 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”.
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