Lee Andrews claims he was 'taken at gunpoint' as he shares the full story on what happened while he was missing
Lee Andrews has broken his silence after he went missing in Dubai.
The 43-year-old, who married Katie Price earlier this year, said in a video posted on social media that he was ‘captured at gunpoint’ and was accused of spying.
Sharing his side of the story, he said: “Hi everyone, this is Lee. I’ve been missing now for several weeks. I can tell you I’m now safe and healthy and with my wife.
“I was taken close to the Hatta-Oman border by men at gunpoint and then I was captured by men with assault rifles.
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“They did slap me around a little bit, little s***s, and I was hand-tied, shackled and also had a hood over my head.
“From there I was taken to a black site and I had no use of my phone and from what I know it was an extended arm of the National Guard and that’s all I can reveal at the moment.
“I have signed disclaimers now with state security and from there I was put into the system.
“At no point have I faced anything to do with fraud allegations or any criminal activities such as that.”
Andrews, who was released from Dubai’s Al Awir prison on Friday, went on to thank his ‘loved ones and my beautiful wife’, adding that ‘I don’t think I would have got out of that situation’ without help from the former glamour model.
“Because of the tensions and things happening in the region, and me being so close to the border, this is why I was suspected of espionage and held in a state security building without the use of a telephone and any right to shower, contact or speak to any of my family, including the embassy or my wife,” he continued.
“So thank you to Katie for making such a noise where the UAE actually listened and let me go.
“From there, I did have a civil case in Dubai, which led to me going into the mainstream prison during the Arabic holiday Eid and I was able to secure my release.
“I’m here now. So thank you for everyone for listening and loved blessings to everyone.”
Price flew out to the UAE city to reunite with Andrews, who gifted her a new ring following their wedding in January.
"I need answers, and if I don't like the answers, I'll be gone," she told The Sun.
"I'm 48. I don't need to waste my time. We get along really well and he's so intelligent ... As much as I want to listen to the women [his exes] and I'm really open-minded about it, I know what a good woman I am."
Katie Price's missing husband: a timeline
12 May: Missed UK television appearance
The Dubai businessman, originally from Manchester, is supposed to be on an episode of Good Morning Britain alongside his wife.
When asked if Andrews got arrested at the airport, Price says: "No. You know, they just said it to me in there.
"So, I just said, 'Lee, apparently a British man has been detained. Can you just confirm that it's not you?' Because I obviously know it's not him.
"So, he's just done a voice note back and laughing emojis. 'No, it's not me' and a voice note. And he's just sent me pictures."
In a vlog on her YouTube channel, Price shares footage of herself calling Andrews after her GMB appearance, telling him: "None of them believe you're coming at all. The fact is, you've just got to get here and prove everyone wrong.
"They're like, 'Kate, do you know anything about this man?'"
13 May: Last known contact
Price says on her channel that Andrews is 'at the airport going through the border control to get his exit stamp'.
"So, he said he's 100 percent, a billion percent, coming today," she adds.
14–16 May: Communication suddenly stops
Price says she and Andrews are normally in 'constant contact' and it's 'worrying' that she can't get through to him on the phone.
"We're now wondering, as far-fetched as it is, he's a missing person," she adds. "I don't know if he's been kidnapped."
16 May: Price pleads 'please help me find my husband'
Over the weekend, Price says, 'the truth is, Lee has been missing for three days'.
"Lee was trying to get through the border near Hatta and, oh God, this is so discombobulating," she continues. "His location went off at 10:03, Wednesday night, that's the last contact anyone's had, his family and me.
"This is the third day now, obviously, he phoned me before the location went off. He's in the middle of nowhere, obviously, I'm worried."
Price adds that 'the last FaceTime call I had with him… he had ties around his hand and a hood'
"He sounded really worried and said like whispering, ‘They're coming for me now. They're coming for me. I've got to go’,” she explains.
17–18 May: Missing person report filed
According to The Sun, a missing person report has been lodged by his family at the British Embassy in Dubai.
"Lee is officially a missing person now," a source tells the outlet.
"Katie is in constant contact with his family and is desperately worried. And she’s mortified — she’s seen people calling it a stunt and that she must be in on it, but she’s absolutely not.
"This is such a worrying, upsetting situation."
19 May: Accusations emerge that Andrews is on the run
In a lengthy expose published by The Sun, journalist Clemmie Moodie accuses Andrews of scamming her out of £1,000, as well as claiming that he is currently hiding out in Dubai.
"Lee has NOT been kidnapped; he is simply in hiding after also ghosting his devastated wife for the past six days," she claims. "He is not dead. He is not in jail. And he has not been detained."
"He is squatting in a slightly run-down villa, frantically planning a route out of this ginormous hole he appears to have buried himself in, and is understood to be liaising with his few trusted contacts on a 'burner phone'," the report alleges.
This follows claims from numerous partners that Andrews scammed them out of money, which he denies.
Price details final FaceTime call with Andrews, denies 'publicity stunt' accusations
Price says she hasn't spoken to Andrews since Wednesday night, telling fans in a recent YouTube update that he was attempting to leave the UAE.
"The last time I heard from him, he FaceTimed me, he had a hood on and said, ‘I've just been captured or arrested’ and had ties around his hand, not handcuffs, and said ‘they're coming back for me’," she explains.
Price denies accusations that this is a publicity stunt, calling the claims 'disgusting'.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for FCDO has given the following statement to LADbible Group: "We are supporting the family of a British man and are in contact with the local authorities."
20 May: Price clears up rumours that Andrews was online on social media
Former Apprentice contestant Luisa Zissman, who has joined the search for Andrews, pointed out how Lee's social media appeared to have been active.
However, it seems this possible clue turned into a dead end as Price posted that she had access to her husband's Facebook account, so she was responsible for the recent activity.
"I have Lee's Facebook, it's not him on this it's me," she wrote, as the search continues.
23 May: Andrews' dad claims he's been arrested in Dubai
"Lee is OK. He has not been kidnapped but he is under arrest. I don't know on what charge," his dad Peter claims to the Daily Mail. "I'm not sure where he is being held. But he will call me later today."
However, Price responds to the claims on Instagram, writing: "THIS IS FAKE NEWES [sic] LEE IS STILL MISSING ME AND HIS FAMILY KNOW WHATS GOING ON AND WORKING WITH THE AUTHORITIES INVOLVED."
Peter doubles down that his son is 'not at my house' as Andrews had been living with him before he became involved with Price.
Meanwhile, Price releases a song on Instagram, writing: "Missing my husband so much it breaks my heart knowing he is still missing so I did this song quick as words mean so much to the situation."
24 May: A source tells The Sun that Andrews' phone has been turned back on
A source tells The Sun: "I had been messaging Lee and was getting no response.
"But on Sunday morning, my messages had gone from a single tick to a double – so that device is back on and being used. Lee has multiple phones but this is the one that is being used now."
27 May: Price claims she has found her husband
Price tells The Sun that she had a two-minute call with him, allegedly from prison in Dubai.
“I told him how worried I had been and told him I loved him. It was very rushed, but he said the authorities out there thought he was a spy. I don’t know much more than that right now.”
2 June: Andrews unfollows Price on Instagram
Eagle-eyed fans were quick to notice that Andrews unfollowed his wife on Instagram, with him now following a grand total of 0 accounts.
8 June: Price gives Andrews an ultimatum as he asks for a GoFundMe
After it was reported that Andrews needs £140,000 to be released from Dubai's Al Awir jail, The Sun reported that Andrews asked his wife to set up a GoFundMe campaign, which would see members of the public donating to help raise the funds for his release - despite him previously claiming to be a millionaire.
The outlet alleges that Price told her husband: "No one will do that for you, Lee, trust me. Everyone hates you."
12 June: Andrews freed from prison
The Sun reports that Andrews has been released from Al Awir jail.
14 June: Andrews and Price reunited
Price flies to Dubai and is pictured leaping into Andrews' arms. The couple head to Vox Dubai, an outdoor cinema, to catch a World Cup game.
16 June: Andrews doubles down
In an Instagram video, Andrews says he was 'captured by men with assault rifles' and 'taken to a black site'.
He insists: "At no point have I faced anything to do with fraud allegations or any criminal activities such as that."
Topics: Katie Price, Celebrity
Anish Vij