A sniffer dog assisting in the search reportedly had to be pulled from the hunt over concerns about its health amid the heatwave.

In an update on Sunday morning, Mayor Eleftherios Papakaloudoukas said: “During our search, and as we were approaching a cave next to the Agia Marina beach, we were shooting along the coastline with cameras.

“We saw an object next to a fence on the beach and when we zoomed in we realised that it was Michael Mosley’s body. He had probably fallen from a short cliff of about 10 metres.”

On Saturday, Dr Mosley’s family addressed the public for the first time since his disappearance. His heartbroken wife Dr Clare Bailey Mosley said at the time: “It has been three days since Michael left the beach to go for a walk.

She said it had been the “longest and most unbearable days for myself and my children.”

The cameraman who stumbled upon the body was in tears during a heartfelt interview in which he offered his sympathies to the doctor’s family.

“I’m really sorry for the family, I’m sorry that I’m the one to find him. I wish we had better news,” he said.

Tributes have now poured in from his fellow TV friends, with Jeremy Vine calling him an “amazing man” who was “so rare”, adding: “We’re all going to miss him so much.”

Piers Morgan, Julia Hartley-Brewer and Anne Diamond also expressed their sorrow over the news.

Dr Mosley was best known for being a famous TV presenter, having starred in several BBC and Channel 4 documentaries. He was also a regular guest on The One Show on BBC One and hosted the podcast, Just One Thing.