Katie Price’s 'missing' husband Lee Andrews fails to appear after Dubai prison release claims
The strange situation involving Katie Price’s husband Lee Andrews has raised even more questions after the reality TV star confirmed he’s been ‘found’ but he’s still nowhere to be seen.
Katie, 48, publicly raised alarm bells last month after the Dubai-based businessman, 43, failed to turn up to a joint Good Morning Britain interview on 15 May.
A day later, the former glamour model took to YouTube to frantically declare that he was a ‘missing person’ after he vanished while trying to go through the border in Dubai to catch a flight.
Katie claimed she had an eerie final FaceTime call with her husband, where his hands were tied, and shared a series of text messages between her and Lee with The Sun, in which he claimed he was being 'detained' at a 'black site' in the UAE after being 'arrested'.
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Meanwhile, his family also filed a missing persons report at the British Embassy in Dubai, prompting widespread media attention into what happened to him.
In her latest update on 27 May, Katie confirmed to The Sun that Lee had been ‘found’ and that he’d spoken to her from a phone box in a prison in Dubai, in a call arranged by his father.
The businessman said he was arrested and detained on suspicion of espionage, and is being held at Dubai’s Al Awir prison.
She told the publication: "I have found him - he is alive, and he is OK. I told him how worried I had been and told him I loved him. It was very rushed, but he said the authorities out there thought he was a spy. I don’t know much more than that right now."
However, the publication also reported that instead of spying, Lee was allegedly detained over claims relating to a ‘private civil matter’.
The outlet claimed that Dubai authorities told them he was not held over spying charges, and that he was due to be released on Monday (1 June), but must pay a four-figure fine.
The Mirror reports that Katie was initially planning to fly out to meet him, as a source said: "[Friends] are worried that she is going to fly out to Dubai to go and meet him when he comes out of prison on Monday.
“After everything Lee's put her through the last couple of weeks, she's been very scared, very anxious, very worried about him."
But it’s now Tuesday (2 June), and there’s still no sign of Lee, with no further explanation or update provided.
The glamour model instead spent the weekend with her children, Junior, 20, and Princess, 18, celebrating her son Harvey’s 24th birthday.
She posted videos and snaps from the past few days on Instagram, but has shared nothing further on her husband’s situation.
It comes as Lee has also apparently unfollowed his wife amid a social media purge, as eagle-eyed Instagram users noticed that he’s following zero people.
Speaking on her podcast, The Katie Price Show, Katie said she told Lee he was the ‘most hated man in Britain’ due to the rumours he’s a ‘scammer’.
She recalled: "I went, 'Don't worry about it Lee, just focus on one thing – you are the most hated man in Britain' is what I said.
"He said 'what, what, why?' and I said 'trust me, you are the most hated man in Britain, everyone thinks this is a scammer, everyone thinks I'm in on it.’”
Tyla has contacted the Dubai Government and a representative for Katie Price for comment.
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.
23 May: Andrews' dad claims he's been arrested in Dubai
"Lee is OK. He has not been kidnapped but he is under arrest. I don't know on what charge," his dad Peter claims to the Daily Mail. "I'm not sure where he is being held. But he will call me later today."
However, Price responds to the claims on Instagram, writing: "THIS IS FAKE NEWES [sic] LEE IS STILL MISSING ME AND HIS FAMILY KNOW WHATS GOING ON AND WORKING WITH THE AUTHORITIES INVOLVED."
Peter doubles down that his son is 'not at my house' as Andrews had been living with him before he became involved with Price.
Meanwhile, Price releases a song on Instagram, writing: "Missing my husband so much it breaks my heart knowing he is still missing so I did this song quick as words mean so much to the situation."
24 May: A source tells The Sun that Andrews' phone has been turned back on
A source tells The Sun: "I had been messaging Lee and was getting no response.
"But on Sunday morning, my messages had gone from a single tick to a double – so that device is back on and being used. Lee has multiple phones but this is the one that is being used now."
27 May: Price claims she has found her husband
Price tells The Sun that she had a two-minute call with him, allegedly from prison in Dubai.
“I told him how worried I had been and told him I loved him. It was very rushed, but he said the authorities out there thought he was a spy. I don’t know much more than that right now.”
2 June: Andrews unfollows Price on Instagram
Eagle-eyed fans were quick to notice that Andrews unfollowed his wife on Instagram, with him now following a grand total of 0 accounts.
Topics: Katie Price, Reality TV, News, Celebrity, UK News
Madison Burgess