Who is Nicola Bulley’s partner Paul Ansell?
THE disappearance of Nicola Bulley shocked the nation in January 2023, leading to a huge, widespread hunt for the mum-of-two and amateur sleuths taking the investigation into their own hands.
Nicola's body was sadly found in a river after weeks of searching, during which time her partner Paul Ansell had been falsely accused by online trolls of being involved in her disappearance.
Who is Paul Ansell?
Paul Ansell was the long-term partner of Nicola Bulley before she died in 2023.
I feel like I’m in the Truman show. Like.. I honestly believe I’m going to wake up at any moment… How are we even in this? We are good people.
Paul Ansell
He works as an engineer and has two daughters that he welcomed with Nicola during their 12 year relationship.
He lives in a home in Inskip, Lancashire with his daughters.
What has Paul Ansell said?
After Nicola Bulley vanished in January 2023, Paul gave an emotional insight into what the family was going through.
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He said at the time: "It is just perpetual hell. It is just utter disbelief. We are living through this but it doesn't feel real.
"We need to find her. She's got two little girls that need their mummy home."
At the start of February 2023, a week after Nicola's disappearance, Paul told the press: "I can't believe that we're here a week on and as yet, it seems like we're not further on.
"It just seems absolutely impossible, like a dream.
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"I just can't get my head around it.
"We’re never going to lose hope, but it is as though she has vanished into thin air. It’s just insane.”
Shortly before her body was found, Paul said he still held out hope of finding Nicola.
He said: "There is no evidence yet to suggest any scenario over another and all options must be kept wide open."
After Nicola was found in the river near where she had vanished, Paul told Sky News: "No words right now, just agony."
What did Paul Ansell say in his Channel 5 interview?
Paul sat down with Channel 5's Dan Walker for an exclusive interview on February 10, 2023, as the search for Nicola was still ongoing.
In the interview, he addressed being interviewed by the police and the horrific accusations made against him by internet trolls.
When asked how he felt throughout the ordeal, Paul said: "Anger, loads of frustration, confusion, disbelief, surrealism, nothing feels real.
"It just doesn’t feel real… I feel like I’m in the Truman show. Like.. I honestly believe I’m going to wake up at any moment…how are we even in this? We are good people.";
He also said he expected to be a suspect in the case while hitting back at people online who had been accusing him of being involved in his partner's disappearance.
Paul said of the false claims: "Some of the things that people say are just, I mean, just ridiculous, aren't they?
"I read one that said 'the police need to look at the partner'.
"And I'm sort of like, well, yeah, that's the first thing that they do. Like of course it is.
"I knew that that would happen, you know, on the first day."
In the interview, which was filmed months before a coroner would confirm that Nicola drowned after falling into freezing cold water, Paul shared his belief that a local was responsible for Nicola's disappearance.
He said: "Whatever has happened, in my eyes, has to be somebody who knows the local area.
"You would only know that area, by local, it's a local area."
When did Nicola Bulley go missing?
Nicola vanished after dropping her children off at school in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, on Friday, January 27, 2023.
She was aged 45 at the time.
The mortgage adviser was last seen walking along a river path with her dog, springer spaniel, Willow.
She wandered along the towpath to the River Wyre at about 8.43am.
Police say that around seven minutes later a dog walker who knows Nicola saw her.
The walker said their dogs briefly interacted before she then went on a different path.
At 8.53am, Nicola sent an email to her boss at Exclusively Mortgages.
She then sent a text to a friend at 8.57am to book a playdate, then logged into a Teams meeting - with her video off and mic muted - at 9.01am as she made her way along her usual track.
Nine minutes later a person saw her walking through the upper field with Willow.
Police say at 9.30am the work call ended but Nicola stayed logged on.
Then, at 9.35am, Nicola's phone was found on the bench, with Willow nearby, but she was nowhere to be seen.
Pals of Nicola have said the person tied the dog to the bench and messaged a family member asking if they knew who it belonged to.
When they were told it was Nicola's they phoned her daughters' school, who then phoned her partner Paul.
The police were then phoned at 11am.
No words right now, just agony.
The highly-publicised search for Nicola sparked a huge reaction online, with many social media users sharing their own theories about what they thought had happened.
The online discussion around the case caused friends of Nicola to express their frustration with the amateur sleuths taking the investigation into their own hands.
Police were even forced to intervene after one so-called TikTok detective was caught digging up woodland in an attempt to find Nicola.
On February 15 police said that Nicola had been classed as a "high risk" missing person due to "vulnerabilities" including issues with alcohol.
Nicola's family later stated that she suffered from significant side effects of perimenopause, such as brain fog and restless sleep.
On February 20 police confirmed that a body they had found in the river the day before was Nicola's.
A June 2023 inquest into her death confirmed that she had accidentally fallen into the water and drowned.
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A 143-page report into Lancashire Police's handling of the case was released in November 2023.
The review, led by the College of Policing, criticised the force for "insufficient focus" and errors of judgement.
Timeline of Nicola Bulley's Disappearance
A look at Nicola's movements on the morning of her disappearance
8.26am - Nicola leaves her home address with her children
8.40am - The mum drops the children off at school and has a brief conversation with another parent.
8.43am - Nicola walked along the path by the River Wyre towards the gate/bench into the lower field, having dropped her children off at school
8:47am (approximately) - A dog-walker – somebody who knows Nicola – saw her walking around the lower field with her dog. Their two dogs interacted briefly before the witness left the field via the river path
8.53am - She sent an email to her boss
8.59 am - Nicola sent message to a friend
9.01am - She logged into a Teams call
9.10am (approximately) - A witness - somebody who knows Nicola - saw her on the upper field walking her dog, Willow
9.20am - Her phone was back in the area of the bench
9.30am - The Teams call ended but Nicola stayed logged on
9.33am (approximately) - Nicola’s mobile phone and Willow were found at a bench by the river by another dog-walker