Nicola Bulley: Everything her friends and family have said about her

The partner of missing mother-of-two Nicola Bulley has said he will “never lose hope”, one week on from her disappearance.

On Friday, Paul Ansell made an emotional statement, saying he “cannot get his head around” how the 45-year-old vanished, and that his focus was on staying strong for their two daughters.

Mortgage adviser Bulley was last seen walking her dog near the River Wyre in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, at 9.10am last Friday morning after dropping off her daughters, aged six and nine, at school.

Lancashire Police have said their “main working hypothesis” is that she fell into the River Wyre and that “this is not suspicious but a tragic case of a missing person”.

As many members of the local community join the search, here are some of the comments Ms Bulley’s family and friends have said about her:

Nicola's partner, Paul: 'We're never going to lose hope'

Paul Ansell, speaking to broadcasters near the scene of where Bulley was last seen, said on Friday: “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.”

He added he was focusing on looking after their two daughters and “didn’t want to think” about how he was coping.

Watch: Nicola Bulley's partner says it is as though 'she vanished into thin air'

On the support from the community, Ansell added: “The only thing that we can take [from the situation] is that the level of support is out of this world.

“It gives us a great amount of comfort knowing that that’s going on - we don’t have anything else.

“We’re never going to lose hope, but it is as though she has vanished into thin air. It’s just insane.”

Her father, Ernie: 'There are two young children waiting for their mummy to come back'

Speaking on Sky News on Thursday, Bulley’s father broke down in tears as he said he would “do anything” for his missing daughter.

Asked how much he missed his daughter, Ernie Bulley began to cry. “Don’t, it’s hard… we’re such a close knit family.

"We’re a close knit family, we’d do anything for any one of us and the children would do the same for us.

“We’re getting on in life, and the grandchildren, and our own children, are more and more important to us as we’re getting older. So, yeah, I just hope she comes home.”

Mr Bulley said of his grandchildren: “There are two young children there waiting for their mummy to come back and we want her back obviously also, but if Nicola is out there, if she’s watching this, then all we’d like to say is come home, contact the police, contact ourselves and we just want you back.

“And they know that mummy’s missing but they know that she’s going to be coming home and everyone is looking for her so it’s only a matter of time, that they’re thinking in their minds, that she’s going to walk through that door.”

Nicola's sister, Louise: ‘None of us understand’

Bulley’s sister, Louise Cunningham, said of her nieces: “Their little minds are trying to process, they don’t really understand - none of us understand, to be honest. But when there are children involved you just have to carry on, you’ve got to get through every day and that’s all we’re trying to do.”

Of the investigation into her disappearance, she said: “Something has got to have been missed. Somebody must know something. People don’t just vanish into thin air.

“There has got to be somebody who knows something and all we are asking is, no matter how small or big, if there is anything you remember that doesn’t seem right, then please reach out to the police.

“Get in touch and get my sister back.”

Friend, Emma White: 'The girl's hair wasn't right today - because that’s not the way mummy does it'

Friend Emma White told ITV's Good Morning Britain on Friday that it was “surreal” her friend logged into a work conference call before suddenly disappearing minutes later.

“[It’s] so surreal, you’ve got this feeling of great sadness. You’ve got heartache mixed in there with a whole load of hope and you just can’t explain the feeling that’s going on.

“And then we have the two most beautiful little girls out there asking where’s their mummy, asking all these questions. We can’t give them answers.

“And as a family, oh gosh, they’re being so strong for these little girls. They know mummy’s missing.

“Today, apparently, the hair wasn’t quite right from one of the little girls, because that’s not the way mummy does it.”