Lee Andrews has been missing for eight days. I spoke to him weeks before he was allegedly kidnapped, and his story didn't make sense. The so-called businessman proposed to Katie Price just hours after they met in person, which should have been the first red flag.
The pair started speaking via direct messages on social media, and just two days after they met in person, they had tied the knot, leaving Katie's followers completely bewildered and her family gobsmacked. It's no secret that Katie loves the feeling of being loved, and honestly, it's what she deserves after years of trauma.
But I spoke to Lee Andrews just weeks before he was allegedly kidnapped, and his story didn't make sense. I first contacted Lee in January and asked him for a right of reply. For those who don't know, as a journalist, if I'm writing a story about somebody, we approach them to get their side of the story, which he acknowledged.
Since then, Lee and I have spoken several times over various stories we at the Mirror had been working on, and I'll give him his due, nine times out of ten, he always gave us his side. Last month, an ex-partner of Lee's, Crystal Janke, claimed he scammed her out of $150,000, so naturally, I sent him a message to see if he wanted to give a comment on the story. Another of Lee's exes also claimed to have had messages from Lee, claiming he was using an ex 'to my advantage and played on her feelings'.
But while the story came from another publication, Lee seemed to take issue and claimed that I was 'paying' his ex-girlfriend for the story. I wasn't. His response was quite brutal, questioning why we would publish such allegations and not the 'good things' people had said about him. He wanted to be paid to share his side of the story, which I didn't agree to, so the conversation naturally ended.
Just a few days later, we revealed that Lee had sent a voice note to a social media user who questioned why he wasn't wearing his wedding ring. Again, I spoke to Lee to share his side of the story, as I believe there are always two sides, which I had made abundantly clear to Mr Andrews in previous correspondence. In response, he sent me a voice note, laughing, and explained that he told the social media user to focus on their own relationship, not his. He asked why this was a news story, and throughout his voice note, he told me he didn't care about the person or who they are, and acknowledged that he shouldn't have responded. He called me his friend multiple times – we're not friends. Lee asked, 'What is wrong with people?' and turned the conversation back to his ex-partner.
Lee went on to tell me not to message him again, so I just said: 'No worries – I'll pass this on to my colleague,' and I didn't reply. Despite telling me not to message him again about the claims, Lee sent another voice note. Again, he spun the conversation back to his ex-girlfriend. During his last voice note, Lee said it isn't right that once he posts on social media or engages with a social media user, he becomes the highlight. But this is exactly what Lee has done in recent months: he's engaged in social media and shared aspects of his life and marriage. And honestly, that stuck with me – how can somebody say they don't want to be the highlight of the news agenda, yet still frequently post on their social media, sharing glimpses of their life, including their alleged travels?
He shared that he'd met Katie's children and had been to the UK, which turned out to be a lie. He lied on his LinkedIn profile, confirmed to me that part of it wasn't true, but then told another publication that someone else was responsible. Lee posted on his Instagram page that he was leaving Dubai or Muscat and heading to the UK to reunite with Katie. They were due to appear on Good Morning Britain – he didn't turn up. This is something his ex-fiancée, Alana Percival, said she experienced with Lee: he would film a video at an airport, say he was waiting for his flight, but then not make it to the UK.
Just days later, Katie said on YouTube she believed her husband had been kidnapped and she'd not spoken to him for several days. For somebody who didn't want to engage with the media, Lee had a funny way of showing this during our conversations. It's been eight days since Katie last had contact with him, and honestly, I feel sorry for her. I've written about Katie since I left my role as a news reporter and spent 7 years in showbiz. I've covered her success and downfall and held her accountable for her missteps, which she openly takes responsibility for. But I hope she gets some answers soon and takes time to focus on herself.
