TV doctor Michael Mosley had been approached by Strictly Come Dancing just weeks before he died while hiking on holiday in Greece, according to reports.
The BBC presenter had told friends he had been invited to take part as a contestant on the beloved dance show, which will be celebrating its 20 year anniversary.
The 67-year-old is not believed to have signed a contract but he appeared excited at the idea of taking part, the MailOnline reports.
One friend told the news site: “He told me just the week before last he'd been invited to do Strictly.”
Police confirmed Dr Mosley died of “heat exhaustion” after “sitting down and losing consciousness” near a holiday resort on the Greek island of Symi.
Authorities announced that the body of the popular TV doctor and columnist had been found in a rocky area at the resort of Agia Marina.
Initial findings, which took place on Monday in Rhodes, indicate the doctor's time of death was around 4pm on Wednesday June 5, according to Greek media.
Temperatures had almost reached 40C at the time of Dr Mosley’s death and it is believed that he may have sat down to gather himself after being overcome with exhaustion.
Initially it was believed Dr Mosley may have suffered a heavy fall while he was hiking.
CCTV footage appeared to show Dr Mosley falling over close to where his body was found as his widow said he “very nearly made it” to safety.
Dr Clare Bailey Mosley confirmed a body discovered on Sunday morning in a rocky area near Agia Marina beach on Symi was that of her husband, describing the loss as “devastating”.
According to reports, footage found by a beach bar at the Agia Marina resort shows what appears to be the TV doctor making his way down a rocky slope close to a fence before he falls out of view.
His body was discovered just 100 metres from the resort.
The broadcaster went missing after leaving his wife and friends at Agios Nikolaos beach.
He appeared to have undertaken an “incredible climb, took the wrong route and collapsed where he couldn’t be easily seen” by emergency search teams, his widow said.
The news has sparked an outpouring of grief from his loved ones and fans of his science programmes and films, with friends and colleagues praising him for innovating the world of science and health broadcasting.
His co-presenter on BBC series Trust Me, I’m A Doctor Chris van Tulleken hailed him as “one of the most important broadcasters of the last few decades” as he paid tribute.
“Michael wasn’t just a rock solid friend, he was an incredibly generous human to everyone he worked with,” Van Tulleken wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Mimi Spencer, who co-wrote The Fast Diet with Mosley, praised him as an “immediately likeable, genuinely funny” person who had an “innate enthusiasm about life”, while physicist and TV presenter Brian Cox said he was a “mentor” to many of those starting out within science broadcasting.
