Katie Price says she's ‘giving up’ on search for ‘missing’ husband Lee Andrews in latest update
Katie Price has updated worried fans about the search for her 'missing' husband Lee Andrews.
Price, 47, shocked fans earlier this year when she married the businessman in a surprise ceremony in January.
This week she has revealed how Andrews sent her 'disturbing' texts before going missing, and said that she believes he is a 'missing person' and has been 'kidnapped'.
She said on ITV: "Lee has been missing for three days. The last time I heard from Lee was Wednesday night at 10 o’clock. He was trying to go through the border in Dubai to get on a flight to me."
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Price showed the texts to The Sun, claiming Andrews sent them before 'disappearing'.
Now though, with time passing and no news, she says she is going to focus on herself.
In the latest episode of her podcast, she confessed she is 'taking a step back' from the investigation.
“There’s only one person I need to look after and that’s myself, so I’m taking a step back,” she said.
“I don’t know what’s true, what’s not true - I don’t know. My tentacles are up, my antennas are up and I’ve decided to take a step back from everything, assess everything in my way and just continue with my life. What will be will be.”
“I’ve got so many exciting things coming up and I’m not letting this ruin anything,” she added.
Price insisted she doesn't want to talk about it anymore.
“So I feel a lot better today because it’s out of my hands and I’m not going to make any more comments anywhere. And if there’s anything that I need to say, I’ll say it on here.”
According to The Independent, her sister Sophie also said on the podcast that Price is her priority.
“My priority is always going to be Kate,” she said. “I don’t know Lee, I don’t have an affinity with Lee. I didn’t know him. Kate does, I don’t.
“I can’t really say too much on that. I’ve always said, my priorities in this situation are always Kate really and the family at the heart of it. I’ve got my own views, I don’t really need to air them, I don’t think it’s fair on Kate.”
The podcast then came to an abrupt end when Price answered her phone.
“Sorry about that little intermission. Kate has had to shoot off because she is taking a call from the police so that is it for today’s episode," said Sophie.
No further information was given about what the police said.
Former The Apprentice star Luisa Zissman had also started a search for Andrews, but has now given up her search after just one day.
She has now flown back to the UK from Dubai, and said: “I’m home from Dubai and I’ve had to admit defeat on finding Lee Andrews so that’s the end of that.”
Katie Price's missing husband: a timeline
12 May: Missed UK television appearance
The Dubai businessman, originally from Manchester, is supposed to be on an episode of Good Morning Britain alongside his wife.
When asked if Andrews got arrested at the airport, Price says: "No. You know, they just said it to me in there.
"So, I just said, 'Lee, apparently a British man has been detained. Can you just confirm that it's not you?' Because I obviously know it's not him.
"So, he's just done a voice note back and laughing emojis. 'No, it's not me' and a voice note. And he's just sent me pictures."
In a vlog on her YouTube channel, Price shares footage of herself calling Andrews after her GMB appearance, telling him: "None of them believe you're coming at all. The fact is, you've just got to get here and prove everyone wrong.
"They're like, 'Kate, do you know anything about this man?'"
13 May: Last known contact
Price says on her channel that Andrews is 'at the airport going through the border control to get his exit stamp'.
"So, he said he's 100 percent, a billion percent, coming today," she adds.
14–16 May: Communication suddenly stops
Price says she and Andrews are normally in 'constant contact' and it's 'worrying' that she can't get through to him on the phone.
"We're now wondering, as far-fetched as it is, he's a missing person," she adds. "I don't know if he's been kidnapped."
16 May: Price pleads 'please help me find my husband'
Over the weekend, Price says, 'the truth is, Lee has been missing for three days'.
"Lee was trying to get through the border near Hatta and, oh God, this is so discombobulating," she continues. "His location went off at 10:03, Wednesday night, that's the last contact anyone's had, his family and me.
"This is the third day now, obviously, he phoned me before the location went off. He's in the middle of nowhere, obviously, I'm worried."
Price adds that 'the last FaceTime call I had with him… he had ties around his hand and a hood'
"He sounded really worried and said like whispering, ‘They're coming for me now. They're coming for me. I've got to go’,” she explains.
17–18 May: Missing person report filed
According to The Sun, a missing person report has been lodged by his family at the British Embassy in Dubai.
"Lee is officially a missing person now," a source tells the outlet.
"Katie is in constant contact with his family and is desperately worried. And she’s mortified — she’s seen people calling it a stunt and that she must be in on it, but she’s absolutely not.
"This is such a worrying, upsetting situation."
19 May: Accusations emerge that Andrews is on the run
In a lengthy expose published by The Sun, journalist Clemmie Moodie accuses Andrews of scamming her out of £1,000, as well as claiming that he is currently hiding out in Dubai.
"Lee has NOT been kidnapped; he is simply in hiding after also ghosting his devastated wife for the past six days," she claims. "He is not dead. He is not in jail. And he has not been detained."
"He is squatting in a slightly run-down villa, frantically planning a route out of this ginormous hole he appears to have buried himself in, and is understood to be liaising with his few trusted contacts on a 'burner phone'," the report alleges.
This follows claims from numerous partners that Andrews scammed them out of money, which he denies.
Price details final FaceTime call with Andrews, denies 'publicity stunt' accusations
Price says she hasn't spoken to Andrews since Wednesday night, telling fans in a recent YouTube update that he was attempting to leave the UAE.
"The last time I heard from him, he FaceTimed me, he had a hood on and said, ‘I've just been captured or arrested’ and had ties around his hand, not handcuffs, and said ‘they're coming back for me’," she explains.
Price denies accusations that this is a publicity stunt, calling the claims 'disgusting'.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for FCDO has given the following statement to LADbible Group: "We are supporting the family of a British man and are in contact with the local authorities."
20 May: Price clears up rumours that Andrews was online on social media
Former Apprentice contestant Luisa Zissman, who has joined the search for Andrews, pointed out how Lee's social media appeared to have been active.
However, it seems this possible clue turned into a dead end as Price posted that she had access to her husband's Facebook account, so she was responsible for the recent activity.
"I have Lee's Facebook, it's not him on this it's me," she wrote, as the search continues.
Topics: Katie Price, Celebrity, UK News
Jen Thomas