Nicola Bulleys partner reveals conflict with police and says tragic mother would have been mortified by force releasing private details
Nicola Bulleys partner has opened up about the conflict he had with police after detectives released private details about the mother-of-twos heavy drinking while she was missing.
Nicola Bulleys partner has opened up about the conflict he had with police after detectives released private details about the mother-of-twos heavy drinking while she was missing.
Ms Bulley vanished on January 27 last year while walking her dog Willow along the River Wyre in St Michaels on Wyre, Lancashire, shortly after dropping her daughters off at school.
Her disappearance became one of the most high-profile modern missing person searches, with armchair detectives peddling wild, unfounded conspiracy theories throughout the search.
After a frenzied three-week search, Ms Bulleys body was tragically found by a member of the public on February 19.
The Search For Nicola Bulley, which will air on BBC1 on October 3, reveals the huge tensions between the police and Nicolas family prior to the discovery of her body.
Paul Ansell, pictured in the BBCs new documentary, has shed light on the conflict he had with police
The mysterious disappearance of Nicola Bulley gripped the nation for months in 2023, as both speculation and scrutiny surrounded the case of the missing mother
Lancashire Police were criticised by politicians, including then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, for telling the public that Ms Bulley was suffering from specific vulnerabilities.
In the statement it said she had suffered with some significant issues with alcohol which were brought on by her ongoing struggles with the menopause and that these struggles had resurfaced over recent months.
At the time, the force defended the unusual step by saying it had needed to give more detail to avoid any further speculation or misinterpretation.
The Sun reports that Mr Ansell, who had been with Ms Bulley for 11 years, reveals in the documentary how the police released a statement while the family were looking over it to make amendments.
We were in the living room, still working on it and before we knew it they had released it, he recalled.
Nikki would be mortified about what has happened and how it came about.
He added: There was an awful lot of conflict with the police.
In the documentary, Detective Superintendent Rebecca Smith, who was in charge of the case, claims Mr Ansell was key to a lot of peoples theories and we had to negate that.
Paul (L), Nicolas partner, will appear in BBC documentary The Search For Nicola Bulley
The father-of-two was sent a series of abusive messages from online trolls, above
An inquest in June 2023 found that Ms Bulley had accidentally drowned and that no foul play was involved.
But before her body was found, Mr Ansell revealed how he was subjected to a barrage of unfounded online conspiracies online.
He said: I was getting direct messages from people that Ive never met. They dont know me, they dont know us, they dont know Nikki.
They know nothing about us. Just messages like "you b******". "We know what you did". "You know you cant hide Paul", that kind of stuff.
Discussing the impact social media had, he went on to say: It wasnt a huge part of our lives. But yeah, when you experience something like this, you realise what a huge monster it can be, I guess.
On top of dealing with social media abuse, Paul said he had to remain strong in the search for Ms Bulley for the sake of his two daughters.
He added: The nights were the hardest. In the morning the hope would be strong. It used to go dark at like 4pm. It used to get to about 3pm and then Id start panicking that I knew it would start going dark in an hour. So we had an hour to find her.
Nicola Bulleys partner Paul Ansell speaks to the media during the search for the mother-of-two
Ring doorbell footage shows Ms Bulley, her partner Paul and their children outside their home on the morning of her disappearance
And then obviously Id have the girls. The first theyd do when they came out of school was run over and say have we found mummy?
Friends of the couple were even forced to beg online trolls to stop making disgusting allegations and vile theories online.
Ms Bulleys sister, Louise Cunningham, along with her parents Ernest and Dorothy Bulley and partner Paul Ansell all participated in the documentary as they reveal the impact of the public scrutiny on their lives.
Reliving the moment the family was informed about Nicolas body being found, Louise said: Ill never forget dad coming into the kitchen. Just, like, completely breaking down and Paul being out in the garden. Just in a complete state.
Discussing online detectives, she added: It doesnt always have to be something sinister linked to something that happens.
Sometimes bad things just happen. I just wish it didnt happen to us. Were just a normal family. Weve had a really tough time.
The family said it was emotionally draining to film the documentary, but did it to ensure she has the legacy she deserves.
Paul Ansell has agreed to the documentary to tackle entitled social media sleuths, its director has suggested
Candles are lit around a photo of Nicola Bulley (left) and her partner Paul Ansell on an altar at St Michaels Church in St Michaels on Wyre, Lancashire
Rachel Lob-levyt, the director behind the BBC documentary, said it was nerve-racking to put the partner of the Lancashire mother back into public focus, but she felt it was the right thing to do.
She added: We had a viewing with the family. It was difficult - obviously emotional for them. They feel the documentary really honours their experience, and honours Nikki.
At the time she went missing, Paul was subject to a really difficult level of scrutiny.
The idea of putting himself back in the public eye is nerve-racking but ultimately, he thought it the right thing to do.
The social media sleuths felt entitled to say whatever they wanted. In the past wed have talked about these things in the pub, whereas now people broadcast it online and everything is accelerated. Opinion takes on similar weight to verified information.
A coroner recorded Ms Bulleys death as accidental, and said she fell into the river and suffered cold water shock, and there was no evidence to suggest suicide.
Paul Ansell, (right) visiting the riverside with Peter Faulding, the underwater search expert called in by the family to help with the search in the River Wyre
Police had accused TikTokers of playing private detectives in the area amid her disappearance, and said they were inundated with false information, accusations and rumours relating to the case.
People on social media made false accusations about their being third-party involvement, and rumours were spread about a derelict house on the other side of the River Wyre, a red van in the area, a fisherman seen nearby and a glove belonging to Ms Bulley, which were all dismissed by police.
Her family have previously hit out at wildly inaccurate speculation after the 45-year-olds death.
An independent College of Policing review of the investigation into her disappearance found the relationship between police and the media to be fractured, and urged for it to be rebuilt.
It also criticised the disclosure of personal information about Ms Bulleys health struggles as avoidable and unnecessary.
Ms Bulleys body was found in the River Wyre on February 19, about a mile from where she vanished.
