He sat down ...and then he died

Coroner: Star rested on rock before collapse | One Show co-host in tribute to 'dear friend'

- PHIL CARDY

TV MEDIC Michael Mosley stopped for a final rest before he died in searing 40C heat on a Greek island, a coroner said yesterday.

The exhausted presenter, 67, sat down on a rock before he collapsed, an initial report found.

If he had managed to make it another 50 yards he would have reached the sea and a gate into a beach bar on the island of Symi.

His body was found at 10.30am on Sunday behind a small wall and fence which circles the Agia Marina bar.

A police source said foul play had been ruled out but added it was impossible to determine an exact cause of death at this stage due to decomposition.

The coroner, who has access to CCTV footage from the Agia Marina resort, said he died at around 4pm on Wednesday the day he was reported missing by wife Clare.

The star, who appeared on the BBC and on ITV's This Morning, can be seen negotiating the treacherous, rocky terrain at the side of the resort.

He appears to pause momentarily by the perimeter wall, resting one hand on it before losing his balance and disappearing from sight.

The source said: "The way the body was positioned suggests that first he sat down and then he died.

"There is no indication that he was hit by something in the head for example, or that he collapsed while walking.

"The area is one of the hottest ones in the region and the local temperature between Wednesday and Sunday was sometimes north of 40C.

"The autopsy is finished but the official report has not been filed yet. The coroner has let police know the findings and this is where this information comes from."

Yesterday family friends of the TV doctor visited the spot where his body was found and laid a single white flower.

Two men and a woman arrived at the Agia Marina resort on a small boat and headed over the rocks to the scene.