Body of missing British TV presenter Michael Mosley found on Greek island

ATHENS (AP) — The body of missing British TV presenter and author Dr. Michael Mosley was found on a Greek island Sunday morning after a days-long search, his family said.

Mosley, who went missing on the island of Symi on Wednesday afternoon, was spotted among rocks on a rugged stretch of coast by a party on a boat that included the local mayor and journalists.

Mosley’s wife said her husband took the wrong route on a hike and collapsed just short of reaching a marina in a place where his body couldn’t easily be seen.

“Michael was an adventurous man, it’s part of what made him so special,” Dr. Clare Bailey Mosley said in statement. “It’s devastating to have lost Michael, my wonderful, funny, kind and brilliant husband. We had an incredibly lucky life together. We loved each other very much and were so happy together.”

Mosley, 67, was well known in Britain for his many programs on the BBC, regular appearances on television and radio and his column in the Daily Mail newspaper. He was known outside the U.K. for his 2013 book “The Fast Diet,” which he co-authored with journalist Mimi Spencer. The book proposed the so-called “5:2 diet,” which promised to help people lose weight quickly by minimizing their calorie intake two days a week while eating healthily on the other five.

He subsequently introduced a rapid weight loss program and made a number of films about diet and exercise.

Mosley often pushed his body to extreme lengths to see the effects of his diets and also lived with tapeworms in his guts for six weeks for the BBC documentary “Infested! Living With Parasites.”

Even before the body’s identity was confirmed, tributes poured in for Mosley.

“In person he was very much the sort of figure that you would see on television: immediately likeable, genuinely funny, enthusiastic, he had this innate enthusiasm about life and he was always very generous with his time," his co-author Spencer told BBC Radio 4. “He never blew his trumpet, he was quite a humble person.”

Tom Watson, former deputy leader of Britain’s Labour Party, called Mosley a hero and said he lost nearly 100 pounds (45 kilograms) following one of the doctor’s diet books.

“It’s hard to describe how upset I am by this news,” Watson said on the social media platform X. “Through courageous, science-based journalism, Michael Mosley has helped thousands of people get well and healthy. I’m one of them.”

Dr. Saleyha Ahsan, who was co-host on “Trust Me, I’m A Doctor,” said Mosley had a talent for putting people at ease and explaining science to a general audience, “not just a niche scientific crowd, but to everyone.”

“Michael’s a national treasure and he’s so personable,” Ahsan told the BBC.

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver said Mosley’s research and TV shows had served the public well and changed the conversation around health issues.

“What a wonderfully sweet, kind and gentle man he was,” Oliver said on Instagram.

Clare Bailey Mosley thanked the people of the island of Symi, who she said worked tirelessly to find him.

“Some of these people on the island, who hadn’t even heard of Michael, worked from dawn till dusk unasked,” she said. “My family and I have been hugely comforted by the outpouring of love from people from around the world. It’s clear that Michael meant a huge amount to so many of you.”

Lefteris Papakalodoukas, the island’s mayor, told The Associated Press that he was on a boat with journalists when they saw a body some 65 feet (20 meters) above the Agia Marina beach. He said Mosley was lying face-up next to a fence.

“We zoomed with the cameras and saw it was him,” he said.

Ilias Tsavaris, a bar manager at the marina, said he scrambled up the hillside after getting a call from the boat telling him to confirm the sighting.

“When I walked up I saw something like a body," he said. “You don’t see a dead body everyday, it is not a warzone, it’s summer, you are supposed to have fun and swimming.”

As police officers were retrieving Mosley's body, one fell on the slope and had to be carried away on a stretcher, local media reported. The body will be taken to the nearby island of Rhodes for autopsy.

Mosley had four children with his wife, who is also an author and health columnist.

Associated Press writer Brian Melley contributed to this report from London.

The body of missing British TV presenter Michael Mosley lies on a rocky area on the island of Symi, Sunday, June 9, 2024. The family of missing British TV presenter Dr. Michael Mosley have confirmed his body has been found on a Greek island. Mosley’s wife said Sunday in a statement that her husband had gone for a hike and took the wrong route and collapsed in a place where his body couldn’t easily be seen. (AP Photo/Panormitis Chatzigiannakis)

The body of missing British TV presenter Michael Mosley lies on a rocky area on the island of Symi, Sunday, June 9, 2024. The family of missing British TV presenter Dr. Michael Mosley have confirmed his body has been found on a Greek island. Mosley’s wife said Sunday in a statement that her husband had gone for a hike and took the wrong route and collapsed in a place where his body couldn’t easily be seen. (AP Photo/Panormitis Chatzigiannakis)

The body of missing British TV presenter Michael Mosley lies on a rocky area on the island of Symi, Sunday, June 9, 2024. The family of missing British TV presenter Dr. Michael Mosley have confirmed his body has been found on a Greek island. Mosley’s wife said Sunday in a statement that her husband had gone for a hike and took the wrong route and collapsed in a place where his body couldn’t easily be seen. (AP Photo/Panormitis Chatzigiannakis)

The body of missing British TV presenter Michael Mosley lies on a rocky area on the island of Symi, Sunday, June 9, 2024. The family of missing British TV presenter Dr. Michael Mosley have confirmed his body has been found on a Greek island. Mosley’s wife said Sunday in a statement that her husband had gone for a hike and took the wrong route and collapsed in a place where his body couldn’t easily be seen. (AP Photo/Panormitis Chatzigiannakis)

A view of an ambulance and a fire brigade van are on a beachfront of Symi island, Greece, Sunday, June 9, 2024. Police said that a body believed to be that of missing British TV presenter Michael Mosley was found on a Greek island Sunday morning. (AP Photo/Antonis Mystiloglou)

Greek Fire brigade personnel walk on a beachfront of Symi island, Greece Sunday, June 9, 2024. Police said that a body believed to be that of missing British TV presenter Michael Mosley was found on a Greek island Sunday morning. (AP Photo/Antonis Mystiloglou)

A general view of the area where the body of missing British TV presenter Michael Mosley was found, Sunday, June 9, 2024. The family of missing British TV presenter Dr. Michael Mosley have confirmed his body has been found on a Greek island. Mosley’s wife said Sunday in a statement that her husband had gone for a hike and took the wrong route and collapsed in a place where his body couldn’t easily be seen. (AP Photo/Panormitis Chatzigiannakis)

The body of British TV presenter Michael Mosley is carried from the spot where was found, Sunday, June 9, 2024. The family of missing British TV presenter Dr. Michael Mosley have confirmed his body has been found on a Greek island. Mosley’s wife said Sunday in a statement that her husband had gone for a hike and took the wrong route and collapsed in a place where his body couldn’t easily be seen. (AP Photo/Panormitis Chatzigiannakis)

Firemen and policemen stand around the body of missing British TV presenter Michael Mosley on the island of Symi, Sunday, June 9, 2024. The family of missing British TV presenter Dr. Michael Mosley have confirmed his body has been found on a Greek island. Mosley’s wife said Sunday in a statement that her husband had gone for a hike and took the wrong route and collapsed in a place where his body couldn’t easily be seen. (AP Photo/Panormitis Chatzigiannakis)

In this undated photo provided by the BBC on Sunday, June 9, 2024, doctor and broadcaster Michael Mosley speaks on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. Police said that a body believed to be that of missing British TV presenter Michael Mosley was found on a Greek island Sunday morning. A police spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of an ongoing investigation, said the body was found on a rocky coast by a private boat and that formal identification was pending. (Jeff Overs/BBC via AP)

In this undated photo provided by the BBC on Sunday, June 9, 2024, doctor and broadcaster Michael Mosley speaks on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. Police said that a body believed to be that of missing British TV presenter Michael Mosley was found on a Greek island Sunday morning. A police spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of an ongoing investigation, said the body was found on a rocky coast by a private boat and that formal identification was pending. (Jeff Overs/BBC via AP)

The small village of Pedi, where some reports indicate missing British doctor and TV presenter Michael Mosley was sighted, is seen on the southeastern Aegean Sea island of Symi, Greece, Friday, June, 7, 2024. Mosley went missing on Wednesday afternoon while on vacation on Symi, and authorities said a search and rescue operation that continued on Friday had found no trace of him. (AP Photo/Antonis Mystiloglou)

People sit on the beach of Agios Nikolaos from where British doctor and television presenter Michael Mosley, is believed to have set out, on the southeastern Aegean Sea island of Symi, Greece, Friday, June 7, 2024. Greek police say an ongoing major search and rescue operation on the small eastern Aegean island of Symi has still not located British doctor and television presenter Michael Mosley, who went missing on Wednesday afternoon after reportedly going for a walk. (AP Photo/Antonis Mystiloglou)

People sit on the beach of Agios Nikolaos from where British doctor and television presenter Michael Mosley, is believed to have set out, on the southeastern Aegean Sea island of Symi, Greece, Friday, June 7, 2024. Greek police say an ongoing major search and rescue operation on the small eastern Aegean island of Symi has still not located British doctor and television presenter Michael Mosley, who went missing on Wednesday afternoon after reportedly going for a walk. (AP Photo/Antonis Mystiloglou)

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Algerians voted Saturday in an election to decide whether army-backed President Abdelmadjid Tebboune gets another term in office — five years after pro-democracy protests prompted the military to oust the previous president after two decades in power.

There is little suspense about the result with Tebboune expected to win easily. The question is more about how many voters cast ballots.

Tebboune said after voting that he hoped “whoever wins will continue on the path towards a point of no return in the construction of democracy.”

Polls closed late Saturday and vote counting was underway as Algerians awaited an announcement of the results. The country's election authority at 12:10 a.m. said that vote counting to so far suggested voter turnout was 48% in Algeria and 19.6% for precincts abroad — outpacing the country’s 2019 presidential election, where 39.9% of voters turned out to vote.

It's unclear whether Tebboune will consider such a figure a triumph. In the lead-up to Saturday, his backers and rivals all urged Algerians to come out and vote after boycotts and high abstention rates in previous elections marred the government's ability to claim popular support.

Algeria is Africa's largest country by area and, with almost 45 million people, it's the continent's second most populous after South Africa to hold presidential elections in 2024 — a year in which more than 50 elections are being held worldwide, encompassing more than half the world's population.

The campaign — rescheduled earlier this year to take place during North Africa's hot summer — was characterized by apathy from the population, which continues to be plagued by a high cost of living and drought that brought water shortages to some parts of the country.

“Uncle Tebboune," as his campaign called the 78-year-old, was elected in December 2019 after nearly a year of weekly “Hirak” demonstrations demanding the resignation of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Their demands were met when Bouteflika resigned and was replaced by an interim government of his former allies, which called for elections later in the year.

Protesters opposed holding elections so soon, fearing the candidates running that year were close to the old regime and would derail dreams of a civilian-led, non-military state. Tebboune, a former prime minister seen as close to the military, won. But his victory was stained by boycotts and election day tumult.

Throughout his tenure, Tebboune has used oil and gas revenue to boost some social benefits — including unemployment insurance as well as public wages and pensions — to calm discontent. To cement his legitimacy, Tebboune hopes more of the country's 24 million eligible voters participate in Saturday's election than in his first election when only 39.9% voted.

Many Algerians remain unconvinced that elections will usher in change.

Activists and international organizations, including Amnesty International, have railed against how authorities continue prosecuting those involved in opposition parties, media organizations and civil society groups.

Some have denounced this election as a rubber stamp exercise that can only entrench the status quo.

“Algerians don’t give a damn about this bogus election,” said former Hirak leader Hakim Addad, who was banned from participating in politics three years ago. “The political crisis will persist as long as the regime remains in place. The Hirak has spoken.”

Twenty-six candidates submitted preliminary paperwork to run in the election, although only two were ultimately approved to challenge Tebboune.

Both avoided directly criticizing Tebboune on the campaign trail and, like the incumbent, emphasized election participation.

Abdelali Hassani Cherif, a 57-year-old head of the Islamist party Movement of Society for Peace, made populist appeals to Algerian youth, running on the slogan “Opportunity!” Youcef Aouchiche, a 41-year-old former journalist running with the Socialist Forces Front, or FFS, campaigned on a “vision for tomorrow.”

Both challengers and their parties risked losing backing from supporters who thought they were selling out by giving the impression the election was democratic and contested.

Walking near a vote center in downtown Algiers, longtime FFS supporter Mhand Kasdi said his party had betrayed its ideals by putting forth a candidate for the first time since 1999.

“It is giving its backing to a rigged election,” the 55-year-old gas station manager said, adding that Aouchiche and Hassani “are going to help make the regime's candidate look good."

Voting in his hometown Saturday, Aouchiche called on Algerians to vote for him “to give young people the confidence to put an end to the despair that drives them to take the boats of death in an attempt to reach the other side of the Mediterranean,” referring to those who migrate to Europe.

Andrew Farrand, the Middle East and North Africa director at the geopolitical risk consultancy Horizon Engage, said both challengers were looking more at the 2025 legislative elections than this 2024 presidential contest. Because Algerian law funds political parties based on the number of seats they win in legislative elections, they hope campaigning now positions them for a strong 2025 performance.

“It’s a long game: How can I mobilize my base? How can I build up a campaign machine? And how can I get into the good graces of the authorities so that I can be in a position to increase my seats?” he said. “We’ve seen that in their choice not to overtly criticize president … paired with a very strong message to Algerians to come out and vote.”

Presidential candidate of the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP), Abdelali Hassani Cherif, prepares to cast his ballot inside a polling station during the presidential election, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)

Presidential candidate of the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP), Abdelali Hassani Cherif, prepares to cast his ballot inside a polling station during the presidential election, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)

Presidential candidate and leader of the FFS party, Youcef Aouchich, casts his ballot inside a polling station during the presidential elections, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Tizi Ouzou, Algeria. (AP Photo)

Algerian president and candidate for re-election Abdelmajid Tebboune speaks after casting his ballot inside a polling station during the presidential elections, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo)

Election officials wait for voters inside a polling station during the presidential election, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)

A voter prepares to cast his ballot inside a polling station during the presidential election, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)

A voter prepares to cast her ballot inside a polling station during the presidential elections, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)

A voter prepares to cast his ballot inside a polling station during the presidential election, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)

Ballots showing presidential candidates inside a polling station during the presidential election, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)

A ballot showing Algerian president and candidate for re-election Abdelmajid Tebboune, inside a polling station during the presidential election, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)

Ballots showing the three presidential candidates are placed on a table inside a polling station during the presidential election, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Anis Belghoul)

A voter prepares to cast her ballot inside a polling station during the presidential elections, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)

Election officials wait for voters inside a polling station during the presidential election, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)

A voter poses for a photo with her inked finger after casting her ballot inside a polling station during the presidential elections, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)

CORRECTS DATE - A voter prepares to cast his ballot inside a polling station during the presidential election, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)

A man walks past electoral banners of presidential candidate, including President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, center, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)

Algerian president and candidate for re-election Abdelmajid Tebboune delivers a speech during his campaign for the upcoming presidential election, in Oran, Algeria, Sunday, Aug. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Str)