Strong relationships with loved ones key to fulfilling life, says Mosley in final interview

Michael Mosley died last week on the Greek island of Symi after going on a hike - Andrew Crowley/Andrew Crowley

Michael Mosley said that strong relationships with loved ones are the key to leading a rich and fulfilling life, in his final interview.

The late doctor’s last discussion for his podcast series Just One Thing was recorded two weeks before his death in 40C  heat on the Greek island of Symi.

Speaking at the Hay Festival with Prof Paul Bloom, Dr Mosley said: “The thing which has surprised me that you haven’t mentioned in a way is the thing which I personally think is the most important when it comes to leading a rich and fulfilling life, and that’s the relationships you have with your friends and loved ones.”

The pair were discussing Prof Bloom’s tips on how to live a good life and improve health and wellbeing, which was the theme of Mosley’s podcast series.

The episode, titled There’s Only One Michael Mosley, was released on BBC Sounds on Friday.

In it, the doctor said he has been “obsessed with the question of how to live a good life for a long time”, adding: “I come from a long line of missionaries on my mother’s side and a long line of bankers on my father’s side so I’m kind of torn in two different directions and to some extent that has dictated the course of my life.”

He also spoke about how he did press-ups and squats every morning, struggled to meditate and took cold showers in which he sang “very loudly” to get through it.

The TV doctor told Prof Bloom: “It’s curious that we can also be self-defeating because my first degree was in politics, philosophy and economics, I wanted to lead a better life.

“So what did I do? I became a banker, not the most obvious goal, and yet I was told that becoming an investment banker was really hard and therefore I decided to do it because it was going to be really hard and I was likely to suffer.

“And I did suffer and then I realised this is actually a really, really stupid thing to do and so I went off and became a doctor instead.”

‘Wonderful, brilliant husband’

The new episode comes after reports that the broadcaster could air his unfinished TV series of Just One Thing as a tribute to the health expert.

The 67-year-old doctor had begun work on the show, based on his podcasts, which was set to include visits to the Lake District, Edinburgh, Cambridgeshire and Glasgow.

It had been scheduled to be broadcast in the second half of 2024 and may not have been the only project lined up for the TV doctor.

TV insiders have told The Sun that The BBC “are now considering how usable the footage they have is and will of course consult with his family”.

The doctor was found dead last week yards away from the beach resort of Agia Marina in Symi.

He had arrived on the island with his wife, Dr Clare Bailey Mosley, to stay with friends who have a house there, and his brother Arthur said he had been in “good spirits” and was looking forward to the trip.

After his body was found following a major search-and-rescue operation, his wife paid tribute to her “wonderful, funny, kind and brilliant husband”.

Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, led tributes to Dr Mosley with his spokesman saying the news of his death was “heartbreaking”.

He added: “We’ve 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.”

The BBC has broadcast two programmes in his honour: the BBC Two special Michael Mosley – The Doctor Who Changed Britain and the BBC Sounds episode of his last interview, at the Hay Festival, on May 25.

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