Nicola Bulley’s partner has said he believes she is ‘100 percent not in the river’ as the search for the missing mother continues.
Authorities have been searching for Bulley since she went missing two weeks ago on 27 January in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire.
The 45-year-old had taken her two daughters - aged six and nine - to school before heading out on her usual dog walk along the River Wyre.
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Her phone, still connected to a Teams call for her job as a mortgage adviser, and dog lead were found on a bench on a steep riverbank overlooking the water, while a dog harness was on the ground.
Bulley’s pet spaniel Willow was also found on a path by the river.
Police remain convinced that Bulley fell into the river, with Superintendent Sally Riley saying in a press conference earlier this week that their theory is that she 'sadly fell into the river and this is a missing person enquiry'.
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However, her partner Paul Ansell says he doesn’t believe this was the case.
Speaking in new Channel 5 special Vanished: What Happened to Nicola Bulley?, which airs at 9pm tonight (Friday 10 February), Ansell says the family are going through ‘hell’ but have not given up on Bulley.
"What we’re going through now is like unprecedented hell," he tells presenter Dan Walker in the 75-minute programme.
"But that hope and that positivity in me is stronger than ever, and I’m never, ever going to let go. Nicky would never give up on us ever.
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"She wouldn’t give up on anybody. And we’re not gonna ever give up on her like, we’re going to find her.”
Lancashire Police have been carrying out an extensive search along the river and river bank, but have thus far come up with no answers.
Ansell continued: "The fact that the divers and underwater rescue team and all that were in that river on the day, and thankfully found absolutely nothing, in the part where you would have to presume is her last known location.
"Personally, I am 100 percent convinced it’s not the river, that’s my opinion. Because people don't just vanish into thin air, it's absolutely impossible.
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"So something has happened. Something has happened. Find out what it is. Find out what it is.
"There has to be a way to find out what happened, there has to be. You cannot, you cannot walk your dog down a river and just vanish into thin air. Something happened that day, something.”
Bulley’s sister Louise Cunnigham has also insisted there is ‘no evidence’ to back up this ‘theory’ yet, calling on investigators to keep an ‘open mind’.
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She recently said in a statement on Facebook: “Off the back of the latest police media update, please can I add there is no evidence whatsoever that she has gone into the river, it's just a theory.
“Everyone needs to keep an open mind as not all CCTV and leads have been investigated fully, the police confirmed the case is far from over.”
Watch Vanished: What Happened to Nicola Bulley? on Channel 5 tonight at 9pm.
Topics: UK News
Jess Hardiman