Nicola Bulley's partner's heartbreaking reason for taking part in documentary about her disappearance

Nicola Bulley's partner Paul Ansell will open up about the social media scrutiny he faced when the mother-of-two went missing in a new BBC documentary.

Nicola Bulley's partner, Paul Ansell, has decided to be a part of an upcoming documentary about her disappearance, which aims to highlight the unfair 'entitled' attitude of social media sleuths who put him through 'an extremely tough level of scrutiny', said the director.

Ansell, who was together with Ms. Bulley for 12 years and shares two children with her, faced a deluge of unfounded conspiracies online as amateur detectives took undue interest in the case, reports the Mirror. The situation escalated to the point where even the couple's friends begged cyber trolls to cease spreading 'disgusting allegations' and 'vile theories'.

The director of the BBC documentary titled 'The Search For Nicola Bulley', Rachel Lob-levyt, acknowledged the anxiety of casting the Lancashire mother's partner back under the public gaze, but felt it was 'the right thing to do'. Set to premiere on October 3, the film was a significant undertaking for Lob-levyt, who aimed to portray the true experience of Nicola's family during this time.

Opening up about the documentary, Rachel said: "We had a viewing with the family. It was difficult - obviously emotional for them. They feel the documentary really honours their experience, and honours Nikki. At the time she went missing, Paul was subject to a really difficult level of scrutiny.

"The idea of putting himself back in the public eye is nerve-racking but ultimately, he thought it the right thing to do. The social media sleuths felt entitled to say whatever they wanted. In the past we'd have talked about these things in the pub, whereas now people broadcast it online and everything is accelerated. Opinion takes on similar weight to verified information."

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The family have also expressed their intentions regarding the upcoming documentary through Rogan Productions, stating it 'wasn't an easy decision'. They added: "Nikki's face and name quickly became very recognisable, but there is so much to share about Nikki the person."

They outlined their objectives by saying, "Our sole aim is to provide the definitive record on Nikki to ensure she has the legacy that she deserves. Many people have aired their views about her disappearance and her untimely and tragic death, only we can speak about her as a mummy, partner, daughter, and sister."

Additionally, the family shared the emotional toll involved in the process: "It was emotionally draining reliving some of our experiences, but we wanted to do this for Nikki."

Nikki Bulley tragically disappeared on January 27 last year while walking her dog Willow along the River Wyre in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire.

A devastating end came three weeks later when a member of the public found her body on February 19 in the River Wyre.

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The coroner has ruled Ms Bulley's death as accidental, stating she fell into the river and experienced 'cold water shock', with 'no evidence' to suggest suicide. At the time, police officials had criticised 'TikTokers' for acting like 'private detectives' in the area during her disappearance, claiming they were swamped with 'false information, accusations and rumours' related to the case.

Social media users falsely claimed there was third-party involvement, and spread rumours about an abandoned house across the River Wyre, a red van in the vicinity, a fisherman spotted nearby and a glove belonging to Ms Bulley, all of which were dismissed by the police.

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