Trade pays tribute to 'unique' Michael Mosley

Tributes have been paid to the presenter and author Michael Mosley following the 67-year-old’s death while on holiday in Greece. 

The doctor had gone missing on Wednesday (5th June) after going on a walk from Agios Nikolaos beach. Greek authorities had been conducting an extensive search over five days amid high temperatures until Mosley’s body was found on Sunday morning (9th June). His death was confirmed by his wife Clare Bailey Mosley, who said she and the family had "been hugely comforted by the outpouring of love from people from around the world".

Mosley was a hugely popular presenter and a bestselling non-fiction author best known for his TV programmes focused on healthy living including “Trust Me I’m a Doctor” and BBC Radio 4’s “Just One Thing” podcast, for which he presented a special edition at the Hay Festival last month. He spent the last few decades working as a presenter, documentary maker, journalist and author after initially qualifying as a doctor.

Mosley was first published by indie Short Books, now part of Octopus. Anna Bond, managing director said: "We are devastated by the news of Dr Michael Mosley’s tragic death. Our hearts and thoughts are with his wife, Dr Clare Bailey, and the family. From his ground-breaking book, The Fast Diet, in 2013 to his most recent life-changing book Just One Thing in 2022, it has been a joy, a pleasure and a privilege to work closely with him on his bestselling books that have changed millions of people’s lives for the better.

"A talented TV presenter and producer, he dedicated his time to educating and empowering millions across the world to live longer, healthier lives and his powerful legacy is a gift that will live on as viewers, listeners and readers continue to enjoy a better quality of life via his books and his journalism, TV programmes, the Fast 800 community, and his BBC podcast.  A brilliant, warm, funny and kind man, Michael will be so greatly missed." 

His agent Sophie Laurimore, director of The Soho Agency, said: “It is with such profound sadness that we say farewell to our dear friend and client, the wise, wonderful and lovely man, Michael Mosley. Michael loved what he did and found it a pleasure and a great privilege to work with his colleagues in TV, radio, publishing and at his business, The Fast 800.  

“He was immensely grateful for how receptive the public were to the ideas he had the privilege to share and to the many scientists whose work he had the honour to help popularise. Our hearts are with Clare and the children. Michael was unique. The work he did was important. We will miss him dreadfully.”

Mosley is credited with changing people’s lives for the better, helping them to lose weight, stay fit and live longer by adopting healthy eating habits that truly work. He himself reversed his Type 2 diabetes, diagnosed in 2012, by adopting a Mediterranean diet. From The Fast Diet, written with Mimi Spencer in 2013, that brought the 5:2 diet into the mainstream, Mosley had gone on to write five more international bestsellers that sell in their millions in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand especially. The 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet, The Fast 800, The Clever Guts Diet and The Fast 800 Keto, each accompanied by recipe books created by his wife Bailey.  

His most recent book, Just One Thing, published in 2022 in association with the BBC, was a Sunday Times bestseller in the UK and globally, having been translated into 11 languages.

Octopus added: “As a natural communicator and a hugely trusted voice, he successfully distils scientific and medical research into accessible, effective healthy eating and lifestyle advice which has benefitted a vast global community of grateful people. They all enjoy a better quality of life via his books and his health columns, his TV shows, the Fast 800 community and millions of listeners to his BBC ‘Just One Thing’ podcast.” 

Mosley books have sold for £13.6m through bookshops, as measured by Nielsen BookScan, since they were first published in 2013 and is by some measure the bestselling author in BookScan’s Fitness & Diet category over that time period. He was Hachette division’s bestselling author of the decade. He achieved nine overall and  25 Paperback Non-Fiction number ones.