'This is appalling and needs to stop'
Nicola Bulley's family has pleaded with the public to stop speculating about the missing mum's private life and have revealed people are "threatening to sell stories about her".
Lancashire Police supercharged the rumour mill around the 45-year-old disappearance on Wednesday after revealing she had suffered from "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 also: Nicola Bulley diving expert reveals crucial information that would have changed how he searched for missing mum
In a statement on Thursday, the mortgage broker's family said they believe the public's focus "has become distracted from finding Nikki, and more about speculation and rumours into her and Paul's private life".
The family said it was aware that Lancashire Police planned to reveal "some personal details about our Nikki".
"Although we know that Nikki would not have wanted this, there are people out there speculating and threatening to sell stories about her. This is appalling and needs to stop," the statement reads.
It continued:"The police know the truth about Nikki and now the public need to focus on finding her."
The statement went on to explain that due to the peri menopause "Nikki suffered with significant side effects such as brain fog, restless sleep and was taking HRT to help but this was giving her intense headaches which caused Nikki to stop taking the HRT thinking that may have helped her but only ended up causing this crisis".
The family pleaded for the public to focus on finding Nicola - who was least seen walking her dog along the River Wyre, Lancashire, on January 27 - rather than "making up wild theories about her personal life".
"Despite what some media outlets and individuals are suggesting, we are being updated daily and receive support from our family liaison officers.
"Nikki is such a wonderful daughter, sister , partner and mother and is missed dearly - we all need you back in our lives.
"Nikki, we hope you are reading this and know that we love you so much and your girls want a cuddle. We all need you home. You can reach out to us, or you can contact MissingPeople.org.uk. Don't be scared, we all love you so very much."
The last sighting of Nicola was at 9.10am, some 20 days ago.
Lancashire Police's
"main working hypothesis" is that she accidentally fell into the river, but no trace of her has been found. Her phone, still connected to a work call, and the dog's lead and harness, were found a short time later. Nicola's dog, a cocker spaniel called Willow, was earlier found wandering, which led to police being called.
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