‘My father was not around to see his grandchildren grow up – I didn’t want to be the same’: Tragic last interview of Dr Michael Mosley, 67, reveals Mail’s health guru’s motivation to not die ‘early’ like his own father

In one of his last interviews before his shocking and untimely death at the age of 67, Dr Michael Mosley told how his drive to preserve his own health stemmed from the fact that he did not want to die ‘early’ like his father, who was 74 became.

In late April, the beloved Mail columnist and TV doctor spoke about his motivation in comments that are now tragically poignant, saying his own father, Bill, had “not seen his grandchildren grow up.”

“I thought, that’s not the path I want to take,” Dr. Mosley told an interviewer.

The father-of-four – whose TV series includes tips from ‘superagers’ on how to stay young – has told how his banker father developed diabetes at the age of 50, just as he did later.

“My father, when he retired, basically sat on the couch and watched sports and that was incredibly bad for him,” Dr. Mosley said. the Telegraph.

In one of his last interviews before his shocking and untimely death at the age of 67, Dr. Michael Mosley talked about how his drive to preserve his own health stemmed from the fact that he did not want to die “early” like his father.

Dr. Mosley (above right) pictured with his parents and brother in Hong Kong in 1962. His father, Bill, died at the age of 74 and never saw his grandchildren grow up

In one of his influential columns for the Daily Mail, the health guru explained how his father’s later years were also ‘ruined’ by ‘invasive’ surgery to remove his prostate after a blood test showed elevated PSA levels.

“In fact, he died several years after the operation of unrelated heart failure,” Dr. wrote. Mosley in an article published in yesterday’s Mail.

Determined to learn from the loss of his father, after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2012, Dr. Mosley changed his own diet. He managed to both beat the disease and inspire countless others to follow his lead with his influential blood sugar diet and 5:2 diet. .

Dr. Explaining how it prompted him to create what is perhaps his most lasting legacy, Mosley told the interviewer: “When my GP told me I had to start medication it shouldn’t have been a shock because my father was around the same time.” time had developed diabetes. age.

‘And then he died. I shouldn’t have been shocked, but I was.’

“I had seen what happened to my father,” he told the Telegraph.

“He died at the age of 74, which is early these days.

Dr. Mosley pictured with his wife Dr Clare Bailey Mosley, who had both said they had ‘no intention whatsoever of giving up their work’

The father of four was found dead on the Greek island of Symi on Sunday morning after taking a wrong turn onto a mountain path

His body was discovered just 80 meters from a bar resort and security in Agia Marina

The sky map above shows where Dr.’s body was found. Mosley brought a tragic end to a five-day search for the beloved health guru

Greek police have confirmed that the body found yesterday is that of Dr. Michael Mosley is (photo)

Dr. Michael Mosley carried a bottle of water with him as he made his tragic journey through the mountains in scorching 37 degrees Celsius heat. The card above reveals his final moments

Dr. Mosley was captured on CCTV carrying an umbrella in the town of Pedi before making a wrong turn onto a mountain trail

‘That feels young. He had not seen his grandchildren grow up.

“I thought: that’s not the path I want to take.”

Also influenced by the premature loss of his father was Dr. Mosley’s refusal to retire, he added.

“I’m 67 and many of my friends are retired now,” he added.

He said that neither he nor his wife of nearly 40 years, Dr. Clare Bailey Mosley, ‘had any intention of giving up work’, he added: ‘Why give it up?

“I’m thrilled to continue writing and giving public speeches and doing television and podcasts.”

Dr. Mosley added that having doctor friends – and one of his sons working as a doctor – helped him stay “in touch” with the latest health research.

But just as important is the simple act of cultivating friendships — something men especially find more difficult around retirement age, he said.

Young British volunteers and family friends walked the path towards Agua Marina near Pedi on Friday while looking for Dr. Mosley

Friends and volunteers in Symi, Greece, where a search and rescue operation was underway for Dr. Mosley

Dr. Mosley with his wife Clare on their wedding day in 1987, almost forty years ago

‘Men are generally not very good at entering into relationships.

“And when they retire, they suddenly realize they have no friends.

“There’s a lot of research showing the benefits of spending time, getting together with friends, things like that.”

While his family, colleagues and those whose lifestyles he has influenced for the better over the decades mourn the loss of Dr. Mosley, they can take comfort in how his legacy of hope and positivity will live on.