I just don't know how we're coping, says missing mother's partner

'She arranged playdate for kids and we had plans... now it's heartache mixed with hope'

- Anthony France

THE partner of a mother-of-two who vanished exactly a week ago today spoke of his family's anguish as he joined friends retracing her steps.

Nicola Bulley, 45, originally from Essex, was last seen walking the family dog alongside the River Wyre in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire. Speaking at the scene this morning, engineer Paul Ansell, 44, said the past few days had been "absolutely impossible", adding: "It's like a dream. I can't get my head around any of it.

"Every single scenario comes to a brick wall. Every single one of them. All we are doing is sitting there going round and round and round through each scenario. I don't know how I'm coping, I don't even want to think about. It's just about the girls, that's it. I'm here for them."

He added: "We're never going to lose the hope. But right now it is as though she has vanished into thin air. Just insane. My whole focus is my two girls, just staying as strong as I can for them. I'm scared that if I put focus into anything else it's going to take my focus off that."

Mortgage adviser Ms Bulley dropped off their daughters, aged six and nine, at the village school last Friday morning. It emerged today that she booked a playdate with a friend in her final text at 8.57am and had planned to go out at the weekend.

Police say she was last seen at 9.10am while walking the dog, and she had logged on to a work Teams call, which ended at 9.30am with her still logged on.