Katie Price has revealed she is prepared to end her marriage to Lee Andrews as he finally admitted he has a travel ban.
The controversial businessman, who has faced accusations of being a conman, was arrested for reported fraud allegations last month and faces an apparent £100,000 fine to be released from prison.
Price jetted to Dubai last week and visited Andrews three times at Al Awir Central Prison and spoke to his ex Dina Taji, a meeting that she said “opened her eyes”.
The former glamour model, 48, has now revealed she managed to speak to Andrews, 43, from half a mile away on the phone over a barbed wire wall.
Dubai-based Andrews, who previously failed to fly to the UK despite sharing videos claiming to be at the airport, finally told Price he has a travel ban in UAE.
“He has a travel ban, he did eventually tell me. I said to him, ‘No one will b****y care if you’ve got a flight ban. It’s not a big deal,’” she told The Sun.
She went on: “The big deal is, you keep videoing, saying you’re at the airport, and you’re coming to England, and you don’t turn up.”
The reality star said she “really believed” Andrews was trying to fly to the UK and insisted she is not “stupid” and is fully aware of the conman allegations.
Price added that she doesn’t feel she’ll be scammed by him as she is “protected by the nation” and said she is ready to be “done” with him for good if she doesn't get the answers she wants when they finally meet in person.
“I’m not a mug, and when I finally see Lee, I am going to question him. And if the answers I get are not right, that will be it: I’ll be done. That’s it. And I’ll just get on with my life,” she said.
The television personality said her doubts were heightened when she met his ex Taji, who warned her “face-to-face” about Andrews.
After their meeting, Price said: “My eyes have been opened. I just need some time to think. I still cannot end things with Lee until I’ve spoken to him, but that was a lot.”
Price was prepared to pay £6,500 to release Andrews, but was told £140,000 would need to be paid before he can be released, The Sun reported.
Fitness coach Taji was with Andrews for three and a half years and accused him of taking out a £200,000 mortgage in her name without her knowledge shortly after they married - something he denies.
She reportedly took legal action against Andrews, leading to him spending three weeks in a Dubai jail and being hit with a travel ban.
Sources claimed three-time divorcee Price feels “confused” over Andrews’ actions and fears she will be “heading to the divorce court again”.
“Katie is in pieces. To the outside world she wants to keep up the bravado. But inside she can't believe how Lee has made her look,” a source told the Daily Mail.
“He's pulled the wool over lots of people's eyes – especially women. And now, as it's all being played out in the public eye, she's at the forefront of the con.”
The insider said the previously bankrupt star - who married Andrews in January just days after meeting him - is hesitant to bail Andrews out and may not have the means to come up with the money.
“Katie is so confused, but ultimately it looks like she will be heading to the divorce court once again,” they stated.
Price’s representative declined to comment when contacted by The Standard.
Andrews was detained for a “private civil matter” last month but insisted to Price that he was kidnapped on suspicion of espionage.
The businessman had been set to fly to the UK to do a joint interview with Price on Good Morning Britain but failed to show up and could not be contacted.
The TV star and Andrews’ family launched an international appeal to find him after he went missing for two weeks, with Price later revealing he was “alive and well” at Dubai’s Al Awir Central Prison.
He told Price he had been “bundled into a van” with his hands tied at the Dubai border and taken to a so-called “black site” while attempting to fly to London.
His family reportedly filed a missing persons report with the British embassy but consular staff in Dubai were reportedly unable to find any trace of him.
After he was located behind bars, Price said Andrews had been shocked to discover he had become “the most hated man in prison” as his disappearance sparked widespread speculation online.
