Katie Price's 48th birthday celebrations have proven a bittersweet affair.
The British reality TV star had planned to spend the day with her husband, Lee Andrews, on what would have been her first birthday since the couple said 'I do'.
Tragically for Price, however, she hasn't heard from Andrews in over a week.
In a bombshell new statement, the former glamour model claimed she's 'appalled' that her husband has failed to make contact with her on her big day.
Price first described Andrews as a 'missing person' in a YouTube vlog shared over the weekend, days after he failed to appear alongside her on a scheduled Good Morning Britain interview.
Price appeared on the show alone (ITV) "I don’t really know where to begin, but I know there’s all this speculation about Lee from when I met him," Price claimed on Saturday (16 May). "Something really, really serious has happened. 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."
In text messages subsequently shown to The Sun, Andrews told Price via text he was being 'detained' at a 'black site' after being 'arrested'.
Providing the press with an update on her birthday, a source close to Price claimed the mother-of-five is 'outraged' by Andrews' radio silence, despite him following a mystery woman on Instagram yesterday (21 May).
Previously, Price had been the only account he'd followed. Now, he also follows a woman named Mari Sol.
Price claimed she's 'given up' on the investigation (Instagram/@wesleeandrews) "Katie is disgusted and appalled," Price's insider told The Sun. "Today is her birthday, yet she’s heard nothing from her husband, but seeing him follow another woman online is just outrageous."
Following mass speculation that Andrews' disappearance had been staged, or that he'd been conning her financially, I'm A Celeb alum Price announced yesterday she'd be '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 on her popular podcast. "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.
Price said she wants to focus on herself now (Instagram/@wesleeeandrews) "What will be will be. I’ve got so many exciting things coming up, and I’m not letting this ruin anything."
Price continued: "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."
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.