A neighbour and friend of Nicola Bulley has praised the missing mum's partner Paul Ansell for his 'miracle strength' and courage as the search enters its 17th day. Charlotte Drake, who has lived next to Nicola for five years, has described Mr Ansell's resilience as "nothing short of a miracle" as he continues to look after his two daughters while they hope for their mum's return.
Ms Drake says she last saw Ms Bulley on the morning of her disappearance on January 27, before the mum vanished while walking her dog along the River Wyre in Lancashire. Ms Drake, who has a close friendship with the 45-year-old mortgage advisor, says the family is going through "living hell".
Speaking to the Metro, she said: "Nicola was heading off to drop her kids at school and I saw the car going. Nothing looked strange at all. Our kids are at different schools and hers start a little bit earlier than mine so whenever I see Nikki go out the drive, I tell mine to hurry up."
READ MORE: Nicola Bulley: Police extend investigation to include day before she vanished
In reference to Mr Ansell's media interview, she added: "He does not want to break down on camera in view of millions of people watching and where his kids may see it. He has to remain strong as he has to hold on to hope we will find Nikki."
Ms Drake also spoke highly of the way Mr Ansell has been making use the media amid the search for Nicola Bulley. She said he is utilising it "exactly as it should be used, to share the facts, highlight the lack of evidence and spread the word far and wide, so that he can hopefully reach someone that knows something".
She said that she agrees with Paul's view that Nicola is not in the River Wyre, despite police basing their investigation heavily on this assumption. She added: "As neighbours and friends, we’ve all said from 11am on Day 1 when the police showed up… 'She’s not in that river.'
"My gut feeling remains the same. I honestly believe Nikki is not in the water." Ms Drake went on to describe Ms Bulley as "the most beautiful person, inside and out who would do anything for anyone".
It comes as fresh details have emerged about two men reportedly seen acting suspiciously close to the river in Lancashire where Nicola Bulley disappeared. Her dog, Willow, was found without a harness or lead, running near the bench were her mobile phone was left - still connected to a work call.
The witness who saw the two men told The Sun they were "carrying fishing rods" and "were trying to hide their faces". The man, who did not want to be named, said: “It was very strange. It made me uneasy.”
He said that he saw the two men at round 7.45am on the day before Nicola vanished. The man told The Sun "they could just have been two normal fishermen" but "they seemed to want to hide their faces, which struck me as odd".
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