Paul faced intense scrutiny following Nicola’s disappearance (Image: Rogan Productions)
‘s routine stroll with her dog turned into an unspeakable tragedy.
The 45 year old from St Michael’s, in Wyre Lancashire, disappeared on January 27, 2023, leaving no trace behind. Her mobile was later found on a riverside bench, still connected to a work conference call.
The internet went into overdrive following Nicola’s vanishing, with on uniting in an attempt to crack the case of the lost mother of two.
This online fervour, however, spawned , some unjustly accusing her partner Paul Ansell.
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Nicola and Paul were together for 12 years (Image: Facebook)
It took over three weeks before . An inquest held in June 2023 concluded that she had
While many recall Nicola as the woman whose disappearance ended in death last year, Paul has been enduring the reality of life without his beloved Nikki, as she was fondly known by loved ones. They shared a 12-year relationship.
The pair had contemplated marriage, imagining their daughters as bridesmaids, but postponed their nuptials due to -19, . “We talked about it again seriously at the beginning of 2020,” Paul recounted. “And that was when we really started to actually look at getting something sort of in the calendar.”
Sadly, their wedding plans never came to fruition. Over the past year, the bereaved father has kept a low profile while coping with the profound loss of his family.
In an emotional reveal, shared Paul’s harrowing experiences following the disappearance of Nicola Bulley. “It would be wrong for me to say they’re doing okay because how can you be okay? The family are trying their best in impossible circumstances to live one day at a time and the kids are surviving in a world without their mum which must be heartbreakingly difficult to deal with every day.”
Now, in an extraordinary move, grief-stricken Paul steps back into the limelight on the with the upcoming documentary titled . Director Rachel Lob-levyt confessed venturing into the project involving Lancashire mother’s partner was “nerve-racking”, yet she felt it “the right thing to do”.
Nicola’s dad Ernest, pictured with her mum Dot, said she was a great daughter (Image: Mirror)
Slated for release on October 3, the documentary intends to throw light upon the stark realities shadowing Nicola’s dear ones. Rachel opens up about the motivation behind ‘The Search For Nicola Bulley’, stating: “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.”
She further divulges the immense pressure of public scrutiny that Paul is bracing for once more. “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 we’d 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.”
The family released a heartfelt statement via Rogan Productions concerning the imminent release of a documentary about their loved one. They acknowledged: “Participating ‘wasn’t an easy decision'”.
Their message highlighted a side of her not popularly known, saying: “Nikki’s face and name quickly became very recognisable, but there is so much to share about Nikki the person.”
Determined to shape Nikki’s memory accurately, they conveyed: “Our sole aim is to provide the definitive record on Nikki to ensure she has the legacy that she deserves. Many people have aired their views about her disappearance and her untimely and tragic death, only we can speak about her as a mummy, partner, daughter, and sister.”
They also shared the emotional toll of recalling their painful journey: “It was emotionally draining reliving some of our experiences, but we wanted to do this for Nikki.”
Nicola’s family said taking aprt in the documentary “‘wasn’t an easy decision’. (Image: Mirror)
Paul remembered Nicola, hailing from Essex, as spirited and a remarkable mother. He expressed his loss, stating: “Without her the hole is bigger than you could possibly imagine,” while her father Ernest, with great emotion at the inquest, described Nicola as a superb family member saying she was a: “great daughter, sister and mother, we couldn’t ask for any more from her.”
Nikki’s dear friends commended Paul for his extraordinary resilience throughout the arduous search. Charlotte Drake, a close friend and neighbour to the couple, spoke with admiration to Metro a week before Nikki was tragically found: “The strength this man has shown over the past 14 days is nothing short of a miracle,” She warmly remarked: “Nicola is without doubt the most beautiful person, inside and out who would do anything for anyone. We joke she is the sort of mum we all want to be loving, friendly and just a wonderful human being.”
During the heart-wrenching inquest in June, a tearful Paul recounted his testimony and shared his harrowing belief about how his wife may have fallen into the river. He theorized that she may have been attempting to attach Willow’s harness when the accident happened, noting guiltily her phone was still on a work Teams call, found perched on a bench overlooking the water.
“She was still listening to that meeting, so I think she must have maybe put the phone on the bench and gone to put the harness back on Willow,” he expressed painfully.
He further clarified why Willow’s harness was taken off, a routine they followed for safety. “We would always take the harness off before going through the gate. Because she’s a springer she’s very erratic and into the bushes so anything that is on her that could get caught we used to take it off,” he explained.
That fateful day, with Nikki not home by 10.30am and an important 11am meeting looming, Paul’s concern grew, manifest in his text message to her: “Have you got lost?”
Twenty minutes after his devastating discovery, their children’s school called him to say that her phone and Willow had been found. At that same time, Ring doorbell footage referenced by the coroner showed Paul leaving the home.
In the wake of the inquest, Nikki’s family issued a heartrending statement acknowledging the immense difficulty of the past months, “The emotional impact will stay long in our hearts and whilst we’ll never get over the loss of our Nikki, we will forever remember her as the brilliant mum, partner, daughter and sister that we all knew and loved so very much,” they shared.
The family extended their gratitude to relatives, friends, and even strangers who provided support, mentioning how “Nikki and Paul’s girls have already taken great comfort in the deeply thoughtful gifts sent to them in goodwill”. The statement concluded with a plea for privacy, as the family sought to process their bereavement in solitude.
“Now we need to be allowed time to comprehend all of the events leading up to this day. We ask that you all respect our privacy at this time, let us rebuild and take time to heal,” it said.