Fans and TV colleagues pray missing Dr Michael Mosley is found safe after he vanishes on holiday island: Greek police use drones in bid to find Mail columnist amid fears he may have ‘fallen from height’ on hike

TV colleagues and fans of Mail columnist and diet guru Dr Michael Mosley are today praying he will be found safe and sound after he went missing on a Greek holiday island.

The police fear that Dr. Mosley, 67, may have ‘fell from a height’ after he went for a walk along St Nicholas Beach on Symi at 1.30pm on Wednesday.

Martin Lewis, founder of money savingexpert.com and an ITV colleague of Michael’s, tweeted this afternoon that he was ‘distressed’ to hear the father-of-four has gone missing. “I hope he’s doing well,” he said.

Radio 2 presenter and Channel 5 talk show host Jeremy Vine wrote in a social media post: ‘I’m praying this lovely man is found and thinking of Clare and all the Mosley family.’

Trust Me I’m A Doctor star Saleyha Ahsan wrote on social media that the news was “shocking” and that she hoped Mosley would be “found safe.”

“I literally feel sick with worry,” Ahsan added. “I don’t even know what to say.”

Fans flooded a community Facebook group for Symi with messages wishing him well and prayers that he will be “found soon.”

The police fear that 67-year-old Dr. Mosley ‘fell from a height’ after walking along St Nicholas Beach in northern Symi at 1.30pm on Wednesday.

Dr Mosley’s wife, Dr Clare Bailey (pictured together), a GP and also a columnist for the Mail, raised the alarm after her husband of almost 40 years failed to return from a walk. A large-scale search is underway

Dr.’s wife Mosley, Dr. Clare Bailey, 62, a GP and also a columnist for the Mail, raised the alarm after her husband of almost 40 years failed to return at 7.30pm. Local authorities began tracing the route overnight but were unable to locate it.

Athens has assembled a search and rescue team for the Mail columnist, using drones and advanced equipment to expand the operation this morning. The Greek Coast Guard monitors the waters near its last known location in northeastern Symi.

Senior police spokesperson Constantina Dimoglidou said that Dr. Mosley has not yet been found, but revealed that the search has expanded.

“We have now asked the fire brigade to assist in the operation in case he may have slipped, tripped, fallen, even been bitten by a snake and remained injured somewhere,” he said.

‘There’s just no trace of him. Absolutely nothing and that means that at least for us every possible scenario is open and being investigated.’

By Thursday afternoon, every emergency service in Greece had been seconded by local authorities to find the Briton, with the Greek coastguard scouring the seas, fire brigades searching the forests and hills of the remote island, a drone flying overhead and volunteers also helping.

“We have also applied to the Ministry of Civil Protection in Athens for the deployment of a helicopter and special dogs,” the Daily Mail was told by a senior police source with intimate knowledge of the search and rescue operation.

Dr. Mosley was on holiday with his wife in Symi (pictured) after completing a nationwide tour together called: Eat (Good), Sleep (Better), Live (Longer)

‘We are focusing on the part of the path that we believe Michael would have taken from the beach in Ayios Nikolaos to Pedi, but because so much time has passed since he went missing, we have also expanded our search to other parts of the island.

“There are currently four police officers, eight firefighters, a drone and seven volunteers involved in the operation.”

Greek police officials acknowledged that the disappearance of such a high-profile figure posed a huge challenge at the start of the tourist season.

“Maybe he slipped and fell, maybe because of a heart attack on the way,” the police source said. ‘Nothing can be ruled out at this stage.’

Meanwhile, a community Facebook group on Symi called for information and uploaded a photo of Dr. Mosley in shorts, a blue polo shirt, a baseball cap and sunglasses.

They wrote: ‘Have you seen this man? He left about 1:30 PM to walk back from St. Nick’s but failed to make it home.

“His friends are worried because it’s been six hours since they last saw him.

‘His name is Dr. Mike Mosley and he is a familiar face to many Brits, having appeared on the BBC.

“The police and the coast guard have been informed that EMAK, the island’s rescue team, is also involved.”

The Mail understands police are leading the investigation, indicating they believe he is missing on land but the coastguard are assisting. Police at Athens headquarters said they were also aware and were “actively pursuing the case.”

Senior police spokesperson Constantina Dimoglidou said ongoing searches that started early this morning have not yet yielded any finds.

Dr. Mosley is known for his health advice, especially on fasting, nutrition and sleep, and is one of the most trusted and authoritative medical voices in the British media and around the world.

Temperatures on the island, which is off the coast of Rhodes, reached the mid-30s Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit) yesterday and remained warm all night.

Dr. Mosley was on vacation with his wife after completing a nationwide tour together titled, “Eat Well, Sleep Better, Live Longer.”

He is known for his dietary advice, including his intermittent fasting plans, The Fast 800 and the 5:2 Diet, and advocates low-carb and ketogenic diets.

He also published a book on using diet to improve sleep, called Fast Asleep, after revealing he suffered from chronic insomnia.

Dr. Mosley regularly appears on his podcast Just One Thing and has become one of the most recognized TV doctors in Britain.

He studied PPE at Oxford and initially tried working as an investment banker.

At that time he retrained as a doctor and qualified after studying medicine at the Royal Free Hospital in London.

Dr. Mosley joined the BBC as a trainee assistant producer and became an on-screen presenter after producing shows for the broadcaster.

His wife, Dr Bailey, is a GP and columnist for the Mail.