The body of missing British astrophysicist Natalie Christopher has been found, according to local media.

The 34-year-old failed to return after going for a morning run on the Aegean island of Ikaria on Monday, where she was on holiday with her Cypriot boyfriend.

The couple had been due to return to their home in Cyprus on the day she disappeared.

According to Greece’s national broadcaster Ant1 News, Christopher’s body was found in a ravine 1500m away from her hotel by a volunteer, one of dozens who were assisting in the search.

The owner of the hotel at which the couple were staying said spots of blood had been found on sheets and pillows in their room.

Christopher’s boyfriend told police the blood was from a nose-bleed she suffered the night before.

He also said she was not there when he woke up on Monday and called her phone. She answered, telling him she was running but when she failed to return a few hours later, he alerted police.

Christopher was well known for her peace activism in ethnically-split Cyprus and is also a campaigner for more women in under-represented scientific fields.

She was a keen sports enthusiast, running summer camps to get more girls into sports.