Nicola Bulley's grieving parents reveal heartbreaking daily ritual

by · Mail Online

Nicola Bulley's grief-stricken parents have revealed they still talk to their beloved daughter every day and even kiss a large photo of her to feel close to her.

Ms Bulley vanished on January 27 last year while walking her dog Willow along the River Wyre in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, shortly after dropping her daughters off at school.

Her disappearance became one of the most high-profile modern missing person searches, with armchair detectives peddling wild, unfounded conspiracy theories throughout the search.

After a frenzied three-week search, mother-of-two Ms Bulley's body was tragically found by a member of the public on February 19. 

Speaking on a BBC One documentary The Search For Nicola Bulley, Ms Bulley's devastated parents Dorothy and Ernest Bulley open up about the heartbreak of losing their daughter.

The mysterious disappearance of Nicola Bulley gripped the nation for months in 2023, as both speculation and scrutiny surrounded the case of the missing mother
Speaking on a BBC One documentary The Search For Nicola Bulley, Ms Bulley's devastated parents Dorothy and Ernest Bulley open up about the heartbreak of losing their daughter
Nicola's mother Dorothy wept on camera as she recalled details of the day her daughter died 

At one point the BBC cameras show a large photo of Nicola which is in the hallway. Nicola's mother says: 'When I go to bed. I always kiss to the one on the landing.' 

Ernest says: 'That seems to follow us around. Every angle you turn, she's looking at you. So, when I get undressed I have to shut the door. Haha.' 

In a more serious tone, Mr Bulley adds: 'I'm always talking to her anyway.' 

The Search For Nicola Bulley, which will air tonight, reveals the huge tensions between the police and Nicola's family prior to the discovery of her body. 

Read More

Nicola Bulley's partner reveals 'conflict' with police over tragic mother's private details

Lancashire Police were criticised by politicians, including then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, over it's handling of Ms Bulley's disappearance. 

During the documentary, Nicola's parents breakdown as they recount their anguish over the day she died.

Remembering when their grandchildren had to be told their mother had died, Ernest says: 'I remember me and Paul (Nicola's partner) just sort of hugged each other. Broken heart.'

Dorothy adds: 'Paul went to get the girls and went in the lounge with them with the liaison officer. And we stayed in the kitchen.'

The pair then open up about the devastating impact Nicola's death had own her two young children as the news was broken to them that 'mummy's died'.

'I'll never forget the cries. I'll never forget the cries,' Ernest says.  

Holding back tears, an emotional Ernest says 'I will never forget the cries' of his grandchildren after they were told of their mother's death 
The pair were filmed as part of The Search For Nicola Bulley documentary, which will air tonight on BBC One. Pictured are Ms Bulley's parents featuring in the show

The Search For Nicola Bulley explores the media coverage and the impact of 'amateur internet sleuths' carrying out their own investigations, as well as hearing from Lancashire Police and Ms Bulley's family. 

At the time, the police force was slammed for telling the public Ms Bulley was suffering from 'specific vulnerabilities'. 

In the statement it said she had 'suffered with some significant issues with alcohol which were brought on by her ongoing struggles with the menopause and that these struggles had resurfaced over recent months'.

Read More

As documentary about Nicola Bulley airs on BBC - why did her disappearance spark an online frenzy?

At the time, the force defended the 'unusual step' by saying it had needed to give more detail 'to avoid any further speculation or misinterpretation'. 

In the documentary Nicola's partner Paul Ansell, who had been with Ms Bulley for 11 years, reveals in the documentary how the police released a statement while the family were looking over it to make amendments.

'We were in the living room, still working on it and before we knew it they had released it,' he recalled.

'Nikki would be mortified about what has happened and how it came about.'

He added: 'There was an awful lot of conflict with the police.'

In the documentary, Detective Superintendent Rebecca Smith, who was in charge of the case, claims Mr Ansell was 'key to a lot of people's theories and we had to negate that'.

Paul Ansell has agreed to the documentary to tackle 'entitled' social media sleuths, its director has suggested

An inquest in June 2023 found that Ms Bulley had accidentally drowned and that no foul play was involved.

But before her body was found, Mr Ansell revealed how he was subjected to a barrage of unfounded online conspiracies online. 

Read More

Nicola Bulley's partner reveals the heartbreaking question their daughters asked after she vanished

He said: 'I was getting direct messages from people that I've never met. They don't know me, they don't know us, they don't know Nikki. 

'They know nothing about us. Just messages like "you b******". "We know what you did". "You know you can't hide Paul", that kind of stuff.' 

Discussing the impact social media had, he went on to say: 'It wasn't a huge part of our lives. But yeah, when you experience something like this, you realise what a huge monster it can be, I guess.'

Friends of the couple were even forced to beg online trolls to stop making 'disgusting allegations' and 'vile theories' online.

Paul Ansell, pictured in the BBC's new documentary, has shed light on the 'conflict' he had with police
Paul (L), Nicola's partner, will appear in BBC documentary The Search For Nicola Bulley 

Among those to feature in the documentary includes Ms Bulley's sister, Louise Cunningham.

Reliving the moment the family was informed about Nicola's body being found, Louise said: 'I'll never forget dad coming into the kitchen. Just, like, completely breaking down and Paul being out in the garden. Just in a complete state.'

Discussing online 'detectives', she added: 'It doesn't always have to be something sinister linked to something that happens.

'Sometimes bad things just happen. I just wish it didn't happen to us. We're just a normal family. We've had a really tough time.'

The family said it was 'emotionally draining' to film the documentary, but did it to 'ensure she has the legacy she deserves'.

Police had accused 'TikTokers' of 'playing private detectives' in the area amid her disappearance, and said they were 'inundated with false information, accusations and rumours' relating to the case.

Paul Ansell, (right) visiting the riverside with Peter Faulding, the underwater search expert called in by the family to help with the search in the River Wyre

People on social media made false accusations about their being third-party involvement, and rumours were spread about a derelict house on the other side of the River Wyre, a red van in the area, a fisherman seen nearby and a glove belonging to Ms Bulley, which were all dismissed by police.

Her family have previously hit out at 'wildly inaccurate speculation' after the 45-year-old's death.

An independent College of Policing review of the investigation into her disappearance found the relationship between police and the media 'to be fractured', and urged for it to be rebuilt.

It also criticised the disclosure of personal information about Ms Bulley's health struggles as 'avoidable and unnecessary'.

Ms Bulley's body was found in the River Wyre on February 19, about a mile from where she vanished.