Katie Price says she has found her husband Lee Andrews two weeks after he was reported missing, with Lee claiming he was allegedly detained in Dubai on suspicion of espionage
Katie married Lee at the beginning of the year(Image: @wesleeeandrews/Instagram)
Katie Price’s husband Lee Andrews has been located. The businessman, who describes himself as a millionaire, was reported missing on 17 May, five days after he was last spotted.
Lee alleges he was arrested and held on suspicion of espionage, claiming he has been detained at Dubai’s infamous Al Awir prison.
Katie revealed: “I have found him – he is alive, and he is okay.
“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,” she told The Sun.
Following his disappearance two weeks ago, Lee has now been traced. According to reports, he maintains he was arrested on Wednesday, 14 May, after deliberately lying low – he was purportedly detained on suspicion of espionage, asserting that he was kept at the Al Awir prison in Dubai, reports the Mirror.
In the period leading up to his arrest, he had vacated his rented flat and temporarily moved into his father’s villa in Dubai.
It is understood that he will be required to pay a fine, thought to be four figures, and is anticipated to be freed on Monday.
Alarm bells first rang regarding Lee when he didn’t turn up to accompany Katie on Good Morning Britain, the day before Katie last had contact with him. He was scheduled to fly from Muscat International to join his wife for their first joint interview. Despite this, he sent a video to both Katie and Good Morning Britain, insisting he was at the airport.
The former glamour model initially revealed to followers that her husband had been abducted in Dubai while preparing to board a flight to the United Kingdom for their reunion. During a distressing FaceTime conversation, Lee disclosed to his wife that he was confined in the rear of a vehicle with his hands bound.
He warned Katie that individuals were “coming” for him, deeply concerning his wife. After five days without contact from Lee, she lodged a missing person report and informed supporters that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in the United Arab Emirates, where Lee is based, had become involved in efforts to locate him.
Nevertheless, the airport terminal shown appeared to be Terminal Two of Dubai International, not Muscat. ITV additionally reported that a Foreign Office spokesperson confirmed to them that the Foreign Office was providing support to a British citizen who had been detained in the United Arab Emirates.
Subsequently, the mother-of-five posted what she described as the final text messages received from her husband’s mobile, with one stating: “Been arrested, I’ll be in touch.”
While it had been suggested that Lee was wanted by Interpol, a source has confirmed to the Mirror that this is incorrect, noting that should he be held by authorities in the United Arab Emirates, it’s unlikely to be connected to a report initially filed with Hertfordshire Police earlier this year.
In a statement provided to The Mirror, Hertfordshire Police subsequently confirmed: “We’d like to clarify that Hertfordshire Constabulary received a report in March, however, once it was established the alleged offences happened in Dubai, we referred this case to the relevant authorities as this was outside of our jurisdiction.”
Katie had earlier informed followers via her YouTube channel that she suspected Lee had been abducted. She explained that the location tracking on Lee’s mobile had been switched off, and nobody could locate him or make contact. “Me and Lee are in constant contact all the time,” she revealed, describing how “worrying” it was that his location had been turned off.
She disclosed receiving a message indicating that nobody could track Lee in Dubai or pinpoint his last known whereabouts. “We’re now wondering, as far-fetched as it is, he’s a missing person,” she stated, adding: “I don’t know if he’s been kidnapped.” She mentioned there had been no records of Lee at any prison or police station.
“If there is anyone in Dubai or you know anyone in Dubai and you spot him, see him… I just don’t know where he is, because the last thing I know his hands were tied, he had a hood over his head… and he was in the back of a van. And that’s all I know,” she appealed, revealing she was experiencing a “really difficult time”.
“We have reported him to the British Embassy as a missing person, he’s been reported in Dubai as a missing person. My anxiety levels are sky high, I just don’t know what to say.” Speaking about his vanishing on her podcast last Thursday, she went on: “My tentacles are up, I’m not stupid. There’s one person I need to look after, myself. I’m taking a step back and that’s it. I don’t know what’s true and what’s not true. I don’t know. My antennas are up and I’ve decided to take a step back from everything and assess everything in my way. What will be will be.
“There’s nothing more I can say. Now the police are dealing with it, I’m just leaving it to the police. I’m not talking about it anymore. It’s getting ridiculous now, just people taking the p**s out of it. I already feel like a d**k as it is from the TV show. It’s not a nice feeling to be going through it. I’ve learned from the past with therapy, when there’s triggers and how to deal with it.
“Today, I’ve decided to say to myself, ‘Kate you’ve got the best people looking for him. All I can do is just get on with my life. I’ve got lots of exciting things coming up. I’m just waiting for a call. What am I supposed to do? Sit here and cry and stay in bed? No, because I’m not that. We will find out everything, I’m sure.”
Throwing further uncertainty into the mix over the weekend, Lee’s father revealed he had allegedly been detained in Dubai recently, saying: “Lee is OK. He has not been kidnapped but he is under arrest. I don’t know on what charge. I’m not sure where he is being held. But he will call me later today.” Katie was swift to refute his claims, however, releasing voicenotes she’d sent to her father-in-law in which she detailed his disappearance with three mobile phones.
The day prior to his return, a source close to the situation revealed that despite numerous friends and relatives highlighting inconsistencies in his account, she remained steadfast in her support.
“People are telling her, ‘Can’t you see something’s not right? It’s so obvious,’ but he is very charismatic, charming and says all the right things to Katie,” the source said. “He makes Katie believe him.
“Even though in her heart she knows it’s not adding up, she can’t help but be in love with him and can’t face the truth. Whatever he does, she’s sticking by him and it’s like a dangerous obsession.
“She won’t take any criticism about him and can’t believe Lee would ever do this to her publicly and is holding out he’s telling the truth,” they added.
“She’s no stranger to divorce and she definitely doesn’t want to go back there again. There’s so much at stake. But her family really aren’t happy about it. They think Katie is being taken for a mug.”
The former I’m A Celebrity contestant—who faced criticism for advertising CBD gummies during her troubles—surprised many yesterday when she appeared in a fresh video with Olivia Attwood, seemingly treating the matter lightly.
“We’re missing something,” she remarked to the Love Island personality in the clip, who responded: “Yeah, I have looked for him but…
“Well mine’s missing, so at the moment it doesn’t look good, does it?” she pointedly replied before adding: “We’re missing our husbands.”