A PAL of missing mum Nicola Bulley has said there were "no red flags" before she vanished, despite cops' claims that she struggled with alcohol issues.
Nadia Fell slammed police for revealing Nicola's personal information which lead people to believe she was an "unfit mum" to her two daughters.
Nadia, 39, told Mail on Sunday: "I've never seen any red flags. Nikki is a normal mum.
"We all have ups and downs and being a mum is hard. Every day is a lesson.
"The menopause can be really tough."
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She also urged online critics to "just stop" amid growing tension over the involvement of "toxic" social media sleuths in the case.
Meanwhile, Nadia revealed that everyone is "holding on to a little bit of hope" that Nicola will return home safe.
Her comments came in response to a statement on February 15, in which Lancashire Police revealed that Nicola had been categorised as a high risk missing person due to her "vulnerabilities".
They explained that these included "significant issues with alcohol" brought about by her struggles with the menopause.
The family themselves said that her battle "caused this crisis".
Cops also stated that officers had attended her family home just weeks before her disappearance over a report of a concern for welfare.
Detectives are still probing that incident, which they said was sparked by "significant issues", but confirmed that no arrests have been made.
Cops said that their revelation about Nicola's life was based on information provided by her family, including her partner Paul Ansell who faced "real challenges" due to her "issues".
The disclosures sparked outrage, with former senior cop Martyn Underhill saying they could "destroy" Nicola's reputation, while one pal of hers accused police of trying to "shift focus" from their own failings.
The force has launched its own internal probe into the matter, as well as referring itself to the independent police watchdog and being called in to explain the decision to the Home Secretary.
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Nicola was last seen close to the River Wyre on January 27 with her springer spaniel Willow.
Detective Superintendent Rebecca Smith confirmed that the force's "main working hypothesis" remains that Nicola fell in the river.
But she revealed two other theories for her disappearance - Nicola leaving the area voluntarily and third party involvement.
DS Smith said: "There is not a single piece of information or evidence to suggest there is any third-party involvement."
There is also nothing to suggest Nicola left the field voluntarily.
Asked if she hoped to find her alive, DS Smith said: "I hope with all my heart that we find Nicola Bulley alive more than anything."
