Katie Price‘marriage’ with Lee Andrews is just the latest twist in the long-running soap opera about her turbulent love life. And this week the former glamor model and reality TV Star tried to shut it all down by claiming that she plans to “divorce” her cheater husband.
While the self-proclaimed ‘businessman’ continues to languish in a Dubai jail due to the huge debts he racked up from his dodgy financial dealings, it was claimed this week that Katie had finally been scammed after discovering Lee only owned around £2 in his cryptocurrency account, despite boasting a £37 million fortune.
As one report put it, “She has finally come to her senses.”
But while Katie, 48, insists she dumped the fraudster, 43, via text message and is now consulting divorce lawyers, new evidence has emerged suggesting her so-called whirlwind wedding earlier this year was never legally binding.
“Once again, it looks like Katie has confused her fans’ eyes,” said a source familiar with her work. “She keeps talking about ‘divorce,’ but if you look closely, it looks like her marriage is a sham. Therefore, divorce or losing money to Lee should not be an issue.”
Here, the Daily Mail examines the series of gaping holes in the former I’m A Celebrity star’s unlikely version of events, and points out FIVE unexplained elements of her story…
The location
Katie and Lee are believed to have tied the knot for the first time in January at the five-star One&Only Royal Mirage hotel in Dubai, just weeks after meeting online. The ‘ceremony’ was overseen by a part-time celebrant who later claimed the occasion was ‘just for show’.
The unlikely newlyweds then tried to prove their doubters wrong by bizarrely choosing to register the marriage in the neighboring emirate of Abu Dhabi – a nearly two-hour journey from Dubai.
Katie Price revealed this week that she is preparing to divorce her fraudster husband Lee Andrews
The couple married in January this year, just a few weeks after meeting online
They were supposed to tie the knot for the first time at the five-star One&Only Royal Mirage hotel in Dubai
Each of the seven states of the United Arab Emirates has its own legal system. So why did the couple travel so far to register their supposed marriage?
As one of Katie’s associates asks: ‘We all know Lee is under a travel ban from Dubai – that’s why he never returned to Britain. Why go all the way to Abu Dhabi for a certificate?’
Civil marriage application
Supposedly ‘official’ documents were then released to the media mainly by the paparazzi agency Backgrid, normally Katie’s favorite photo agency. Backgrid regularly posts images in the media on her behalf, with Katie receiving a lucrative portion of each photo sold.
But these ‘official’ documents may not be quite what they seem. Among them is a “Civil Marriage Application from Abu Dhabi Department of Justice.” This form, apparently signed by both Lee and mother-of-five Katie, initially appears legitimate and accurately lists both parties’ details. However, the Daily Mail has found that these documents can easily be produced online.
Yesterday we successfully generated an identical document via the UAE official website in just a few minutes. The documents therefore do not appear to be comprehensive evidence that Lee and Katie were ever married.
Another clue that a second ceremony didn’t take place is that Katie, who has always shied away from a photo opportunity, hasn’t posted any photos of it, and neither has Backgrid.
“Katie will always make money from any event,” says my source. “It would honestly be unbelievable that she wouldn’t have posed for the paps.”
‘Marriage certificate’
Katie and Lee’s marriage certificate, which apparently meets Abu Dhabi regulations
The marriage certificate, re-released by Backgrid (which also saw Katie enjoying a ‘secret’ holiday in Marbella this week) apparently complies with Abu Dhabi regulations and once again appears legitimate.
But for a marriage of two non-Emirati nationals to be legal in Britain, the UAE marriage certificate must be stamped by the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mofa). It must also later be formally approved by the UAE embassy in London before British authorities will recognize it.
None of these crucial steps appear to have been taken.
Mofa’s website includes a ‘legal document verification service’ to check the ‘authenticity, integrity and validity’ of all official paperwork from the country. Katie and Lee’s so-called ‘marriage certificate’ returns an ‘invalid document’ result when uploaded to this service.
Katie and Lee’s ‘certificate’ also does not contain the Mofa stamp required for an Emirati marriage to be considered valid in Britain, nor the required QR code: a security feature of modern UAE marriage certificates that can instantly confirm authenticity.
Formal advice for British nationals wanting to get married in the Middle East says British authorities will ‘look for appropriate certificates and official stamps’ and use the QR code system to confirm that a certificate has been officially approved. In that regard, Katie and Lee’s so-called certificate would not pass.
The signature
Equally intriguing is the signature on Katie’s side of the marriage application, which appears to bear no resemblance to the signature she usually uses, and which is widely circulated online.
The complex scribbles appear much longer than the scribbles she used in the past, while the handwriting also looks noticeably different.
Artificial intelligence
Of course, the prospect that any of the couple’s documents or photos could have been created using AI remains a real possibility. This is especially true given Lee’s penchant for using digital spoofing tools in the past.
Footage has previously circulated claiming he is meeting stars including tech mogul Elon Musk and reality superstar Kim Kardashian. It was later confirmed that both photos were fake.
Likewise, many images of Lee himself have been enhanced and edited to enhance his appearance, even adding generous tufts of hair to his rapidly receding hairline.
The verdict
While Katie may now insist that she is ‘consulting lawyers’ about her ‘divorce’, there are still far more questions than answers about whether she was ever actually married, and certainly whether her ‘marriage’ would be recognized in Britain.
It seems her new claims of a huge legal battle to “protect her money” may be little more than yet another transparent attempt to ensure she remains the center of attention.
Katie Price has been contacted for comment.
