Dr Michael Mosley 'had offer to join Strictly'

Michael Mosley had reportedly been asked to appear in the next series of 'Strictly Come Dancing' prior to his death.

The 67-year-old TV doctor was found dead on the Greek island of Symi on Sunday (09.06.24) four days after he vanished during a walk last Wednesday (05.06.24) while he was on holiday with his wife Dr Clare Bailey - and now a new report suggests he'd been offered a place on the BBC dancing show just weeks before the tragedy.

A source told the Daily Mail newspaper: "He told me just the week before last he'd been invited to do 'Strictly'."

Another insider added to the publication: "Dr Mosley would have been a hugely loveable contestant, exactly what the show needs."

Mosley had previously been vocal about the health benefits of dancing and even held the show's famous Glitterball trophy during an episode of his BBC series 'Just One Thing'.

During the episode, he explained: "Dancing undoubtedly improves your fitness. It has been shown to support your mental health and it can even boost your memory.

"It can be used effectively for depression and it's good for social connection. Dance has also been shown to help manage the symptoms of a number of conditions, including Parkinson's disease and dementia ...

"Dancing is a valuable way to increase your physical activity. It can get your heartbeat up over 140 beats per minute and help you burn quite a few calories - around 340 every half an hour.

"It has a great combination of low- and high-intensity bouts during the exercise. On top of that, new routines are a fun way to challenge your brain."

According to police, Mosley died of natural causes just hours after he set out on a walk without his mobile phone.

Emergency services launched an extensive search for the TV star and even used drones to look over the area where he went missing.

His body was found by a camera crew just yards from where volunteers had been looking for him.

Mosley's wife Clare said in a statement: "My family and I have been hugely comforted by the outpouring of love from people from around the world. It's clear that Michael meant a huge amount to so many of you.

"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."