Downing Street said Mosley was an “extraordinary broadcaster” who had a “huge impact” on people’s lives.

Sunak’s official spokesman said: “The reports from the weekend are heartbreaking and our thoughts are with Dr Michael Mosley’s family, his wife Clare and friends, in what must be deeply sad times.

“We have seen some incredibly touching tributes which have made clear the huge impact that Dr Mosley had on people and helped to transform people’s lives for the better.

“He will be known as an extraordinary broadcaster who used his platform to influence and change the way we think about many public health issues.”

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Meanwhile, three close friends of Mosley laid a single white flower on the Greek mountainside where he was found. A woman and two men sailed in on a small private boat on Monday morning to the beach resort of Agia Marina on Symi.

Mosley was found about 50 metres away from the resort on Sunday morning, five days after his wife reported him missing.

The group were seen tentatively making their way over the rocks towards the site.

Visibly distressed, the group laid a single-stemmed white and pink oleander and were seen hugging and consoling each other for about 20 minutes.

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One of the group’s members was a young male British volunteer who had helped search the island for Mosley.

The oleander has poetic significance in Greek mythology. According to one legend, Hero, a priestess of Aphrodite, is wooed by a young man called Leander who swims across the Hellespont every night to see her.

One night during a violent storm he is dashed against sharp rocks and washes up on the beach.

Mosley’s body lay undiscovered just metres from a beach resort. His wife, Clare Bailey Mosley, said he “so very nearly made it” to safety.

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CCTV footage shows Mosley gingerly walking down a rocky mountain near the perimeter fence of the Agia Marina resort before he appears to stumble and fall out of view, just over two hours after he left his wife and friends.‌

His wife paid tribute to her “wonderful, funny, kind and brilliant husband”.

She said: “We’re taking comfort in the fact that he so very nearly made it. He did an incredible climb, took the wrong route and collapsed where he couldn’t be easily seen by the extensive search team.”

The Telegraph, London