Heartbreak as Nicola Bulley’s daughters ‘performed gymnastics show in front of empty seat where mum should have been’

MISSING Nicola Bulley’s children performed at a gymnastics show in front of an empty seat where their mum should be, a friend revealed.

The mum-of-two had bought the tickets the day before she vanished while walking her dog on January 27.

Instead, her young daughters performed their routine over the weekend as the search for Nicola continued.

Pal Emma White said: “They tend to do a lot of activities at the weekends, and normally Mummy would have been involved with those.

“Over the weekend they had a gymnastics show and there was an empty seat, which obviously was hard, as Mummy should be watching them.”

It comes as the search for Nicola is bolstered today by a group of private divers.

Specialist Group International (SGI) will scour the river using specialist equipment.

The firm’s founder, Peter Faulding, said: “We’re bringing extra divers, and we also bring hi-tech sonar.

“It gives us double the resources so we can cover an extremely large area.”

Lancashire Police said previously their “main working hypothesis” is that Nicola had “sadly fallen in the river”.

Supt Sally Riley claimed there may have been an “issue” with dog Willow that led Nicola to the edge of the water.

Police believed the mum could have walked to the river to retrieve the dog’s tennis ball when she potentially fell in.

But Nicola’s sister Louise Cunningham and Emma have rubbished the hypothesis.

The pair explained there was “no evidence” behind that Nicola fell in the water while getting Willow’s tennis ball.

Supt Riley also later admitted there was also nothing to show a slip or fall near the bench where Nicola’s phone was found.

Emma said today: “The hypothesis is based on limited information – I’ve said before it’s a theory – and we sadly can’t base life on a theory.”

Nicola’s disappearance has gripped the nation after she seemingly vanished without a trace ten days ago.

Her mobile was found on a bench near the river’s edge still connected to a work conference call.

Nicola’s pet springer spaniel Willow was also discovered – but there is no trace still of the missing mum.

Footage has now been issued of Nicola on the morning she was last seen from her own Ring doorbell camera.

The mum can be seen loading the car outside her home before heading off for the school run.

Nicola began her walk along the towpath to the River Wyre at 8.43am after dropping her two children off at school.

Police say around seven minutes later, a dog walker who knows Nicola saw her walking around the lower field with her springer spaniel Willow.

The witness said their two dogs interacted briefly before she left Nicola via the river path.

At 8.53am, the mum sent an email to her boss at Exclusively Mortgages.

She then logged into a Teams call at 9.01am and was seen around nine minutes later on the upper field walking Willow.

Police say at 9.30am, the work call ended but Nicola stayed logged on.

At around 9.35am, the mobile and Willow were found at a bench by the river but there was no sign of Nicola.

There is a ten-minute window where police cannot account for Nicola’s movements.

This is between 9.10am – the last confirmed sighting – and 9.20am when Nicola’s phone is believed to have been on a bench while connected to a work call.

Nicola has been described as white, 5ft 3in tall with light-brown shoulder-length hair

She was last seen wearing an ankle-length black quilted gilet jacket with a black Engelbert Strauss waist-length coat underneath and black tight-fitting jeans.

She had long green walking socks tucked into her jeans, ankle-length green Next wellies, a necklace and a pale blue Fitbit on.

Nicola has an Essex accent and links to the Thornton-Cleveleys area near Blackpool.

Anybody with information about where she might be is asked to call 101, quoting log 473 of January 27, or ring 999 for immediate sightings.