Alex Batty, a British boy who disappeared six years ago in France, has contacted his grandmother in an emotional message.
The now 17-year-old is soon expected to return to England, where he will be reunited with his grandmother and legal guardian, Susan Caruana.
A return date has been confirmed for the teen, who was discovered working along a road in Revel, south of France by a driver.
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Originally, Alex was believed to make his return to England next week, but it seems only a matter of hours separates him from his home country, where he will be able to see his grandmother again.
Alex first went missing in Spain in October 2017 after a week-long, pre-arranged trip with his mother Melanie Batty and grandfather David Batty.
The trio stayed in the Benahavis area near Marbella, but they did not return to England as expected on 8 October 2017.
Ahead of his return to the UK, Alex, hailing from Oldham, Greater Manchester, managed to contact his grandmother, who had been devastated by his disappearance and had made several public appeals over the past few years.
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In his short message, Alex expressed his desire to come home, writing: "I love you I want to come home."
The teen also let his grandma know he was safe, explaining he was in Toulouse.
"Hello grandma is me Alex I am in France Toulouse I really hope that you receive this message."
Speaking about Alex's return last night (on December 14), Caruana said she was 'thrilled'.
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"I am so happy. I have spoken to him and he is well. He is currently with the authorities in France. It is great news," she said.
"I am just waiting for him to come home - I am thrilled."
The boy's grandmother revealed she received a message on Facebook in 2018, in which Alex said he was better off with his mum and grandad. "I got this message on Facebook and it was a YouTube video of the three of them," Caruana said.
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"They all spoke on it and Melanie said the reasons why they had done what they had done.
"Alex said it was a million times better being with his mum and granddad. Obviously it hurt a bit but then my other concerns kicked in.
"The reason I believe they have done this is because basically my lifestyle, my belief systems, are not what they agree with - just simply living day to day, how normal people do.
"They didn't want him to go to school, they don't believe in mainstream school."
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According to student Fabien Accidini, the driver who offered Alex a lift, the teen had lived in a luxury house in Spain with around 10 people as part of a 'spiritual community', before moving to France in around 2021.
Featured Image Credit: ITV/PATopics: UK News