The body of missing British TV presenter Michael Mosley has been found on a Greek island after a days-long search, his family has confirmed.
The British television presenter disappeared while on holiday on the island of Symi, which is on the eastern side of the Aegean Sea and about 6.5 kilometres from Turkey.
A police spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity yesterday (last night AEST) because of an ongoing investigation, said a body was found on a rocky coast by a private boat and that formal identification was pending.
Mosley's wife said in a statement released hours later that her husband took the wrong route on a hike and collapsed 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.
"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."
She thanked the people of the island of Symi – where a search and rescue operation had been under way since Wednesday – 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 he was on the boat with members of the media representatives when they saw a body some 20 metre above the Agia Marina beach a little after 10am (5pm AEST).
"We zoomed with the cameras and saw it was him," he said.
The mayor said that the body appeared to have fallen down a steep, rocky slope, stopping against a fence and lying face-up with a few rocks on top of it.
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.
The body had a leather bag in one hand, said Antonis Mystiloglou, a cameraman with state TV ERT, who was also on the boat.
Mosley, 67, is believed to have gone for a coastal walk along Saint Nicholas Beach on Wednesday afternoon while on holiday on the island, which is a popular destination for hikers.
Mosley is well-known in Britain for his regular appearances on television and radio and for his column in the Daily Mail newspaper.
He is known outside the UK for his 2013 book The Fast Diet, which he co-authored with journalist Mimi Spencer.
The "5:2 diet" set out how people can lose weight fast by minimising their calorie intake for two days in a week while eating healthily on the other five.
At least 100 rescuers and volunteers, including a helicopter, were scouring the area between Agios Nikolaos and the island's main town in search of the 67-year-old.
In a statement yesterday, Mosley's wife Clare said the days in which her husband went missing were "the longest and most unbearable".
"The search is ongoing and our family are so incredibly grateful to the people of Symi, the Greek authorities and the British consulate who are working tirelessly to help find Michael," she said.
The couple's children also made their way to the island to aid in the search.
He later introduced the Fast 800 diet, a rapid weight loss program, and has made a number of films about diet and exercise.
Mosley often pushed his body to extreme lengths to see the effects of his diets.
He lived with tapeworms in his guts for six weeks for the BBC documentary Infested! Living With Parasites.
Mosley has four children with his wife Clare Bailey Mosley, who is also a doctor, author and health columnist.
- Reported with Associated Press
