‘He was a hero to me’: Michael Mosley’s friends and colleagues pay tribute
Tributes have been paid to British television presenter Michael Mosley after his body was discovered on the Greek island of Symi following a five-day search.
Broadcaster Dr Phil Hammond, who said Mosley gave him a TV break when he became presenter of the first five series of Trust Me, I’m a Doctor, said he had left a “huge legacy” in explaining science to vast numbers of people.
“Besides his enthusiasm…. he had an encyclopedic mind, he was everywhere in every story,” Hammond told Sky News. “He made sure that all the researchers and assistant producers on the show had a science background.”
Mosley believed in the critical importance of improving public health and had a positive impact on “thousands and thousands” of individuals, he added.
“If Mike’s legacy is that some of the advice he gave about exercise, nutrition and staying in shape can be spread more widely, then I think that would be a fitting legacy,” Hammond said.
Another fellow doctor and presenter, Saleyha Ahsan, one of Mosley’s co-presenters on Trust Me, I’m a Doctor, said her “heartfelt condolences and many thoughts” were with Mosley’s family.
“I think everyone over the last few days was just hoping for a different scenario, a different outcome,” she told Sky News. “Michael is resourceful. I mean, his entire career he’s used his body, he’s pushed his body to its limits in the name of science, in the name of finding better health outcomes for the rest of us. I just think we were all hoping for a different outcome.”
She said his on-screen character, well known to audiences, reflected the man he was. “He is so personable and approachable through the screen and that is an art in itself, being able to portray yourself like that,” she said. “And he’s exactly like that.”
She added that he was “just so professional, but he was just so human and so passionate about what he did (…) He lived and breathed his work. He was an inspiration.”
Professor Alice Roberts said she last saw the presenter, who worked as executive producer of her 2009 series Human Journey, at the Hay festival two weeks ago.
“The fragility of life is so shocking,” she says wrote about X. ‘I can’t believe he’s gone. My thoughts are with his heartbroken family.”
Former Labor MP Tom Watson said Mosley had helped transform his life. “It’s hard to describe how upset I am by this news,” he said wrote on social media. “Through courageous, science-based journalism, Michael Mosley has helped thousands of people get better and healthier. I am one of them. He was a hero to me. He will be deeply missed. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.”