MISSING Nicola Bulley's two young daughters "want to go out and find mummy", her partner has reportedly told a friend.
The dog walker, 45, vanished after dropping her children off at school in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, last Friday.
Since then there has been no trace of missing Nicola, leaving her family in agony.
Her partner Paul Ansell has now told friends he is "trying to be strong" for their daughters, who are aged nine and six.
One pal told the Mirror: "They want to go out and find mummy. It’s utterly heartbreaking.
Two New York cops stabbed during celebrations in Times Square
"They just desperately want her home."
Paul today visited the route where she vanished to appeal for information.
Speaking to reporters at the scene, he said: "My whole focus is my two girls, just staying as strong as I can for them.
"I'm scared that if I put focus into anything else it's going to take my focus off that.
"Just hoping to goodness that anything comes out from the interview yesterday no matter how tiny."
Paul said he keeps playing "every scenario" in his head "around and around" but each one comes to a "brick wall".
He added: "It is as though she has vanished into thin air."
The dad said he would "never lose the hope" of finding missing Nicola.
Paul added: "I can't believe that we're here a week on and as yet, it seems like we're not further on.
"It just seems absolutely impossible, like a dream.
At least nine killed after New Year's Day stampede at shopping centre
"I just can't get my head around it."
Paul also thanked the local community for their "amazing" support.
He said: "It’s the only thing that we can take (from the situation) is that the level of support is out of this world.
“It gives us a great amount of comfort knowing that that’s going on, we don’t have anything else.
"We’re never going to lose hope, but it is as though she has vanished into thin air. It’s just insane.”
His comments come as it emerged Nicola had sent a text message to a pal just minutes before she disappeared.
A friend, who did not wish to be named, told the Mirror: "She booked a playdate, 8.57, she sent a text message to a friend whose mortgage she had just recently signed off on to arrange for the girls to go for tea this week."
It means Nicola sent the text message before logging on a work conference call at 9.01am.
The friend believes she had no intention of disappearing on purpose due to the nature of the text message.
They added: "You wouldn't have done that if you were going to get up and go missing."
Nicola's friends will today gather at the spot where she was last seen and retrace her steps a week on from her disappearance.
Pal Emma white told GMB: "The more time goes on, you’re questioning yourself about what went wrong.
"It’s a rollercoaster of emotions.
"It’s been 7 days we’re out in force again, our thought process is to explore every avenue with the police and community and find the missing piece of the jigsaw."
It comes as the family were dealt a setback after it was revealed a potential witness had not seen Nicola on the day she vanished.
Police had sought the woman in red, who was in the area at the time walking her own dog.
But while being quizzed yesterday, Christine Bowman, 67, told police she "doesn't know anything", Mail Online reports.
Search efforts for the missing mum have ramped up as specialist teams focus on a stretch of river.
Police yesterday cordoned off a footpath that leads to a bench where Nicola’s phone and dog were found.
Divers were also seen entering the water where the mum was last seen walking along the towpath.
Officers have now released a timeline of the missing mum’s final movements before she disappeared.
Nicola, 45, began her walk along the towpath to the River Wyre at 8.43am after dropping her two children off at school.
Police say around seven minutes later, a dog walker who knows Nicola saw her walking around the lower field with her springer spaniel Willow.
The witness said their two dogs interacted briefly before she left Nicola via the river path.
At 8.53am, the mum sent an email to her boss at Exclusively Mortgages.
She then logged into a Teams call at 9.01am and was seen around nine minutes later on the upper field walking Willow.
Police say at 9.30am, the work call ended but Nicola stayed logged on.
At around 9.35am, the mobile and Willow were found at a bench by the river but there was no sign of Nicola.
Nicola's family yesterday released an emotional appeal as they told how her children "need her home".
Sister Louise Cunningham told Sky News: "If I'm being honest, it feels like I'm just stuck in a nightmare.
"We're going round and round in circles trying to piece together what could have possibly happened.
"It's like she's just vanished into thin air. We just want her home, we need her home, her children need her home. It's absolutely heartbreaking."
Lancashire Police confirmed they are “keeping a really open mind about what could have happened”.
Supt Sally Riley said: “We know that Nicola going missing has caused a great deal of concern for the wider local community, as well as obviously being an awful time for her family.
“This remains a missing person inquiry and at this time there is nothing to suggest any third-party involvement in Nicola’s disappearance.
“I appreciate that there are unanswered questions about what has happened to Nicola, but I would urge people not to speculate or spread false rumours. We will share updates when we can, but we must be factual.
“Nicola’s family are being kept up to date with events and are being supported by officers.
“We are really grateful for the community’s help and co-operation so far, but I’d like to stress again parts of the riverbank are treacherous, especially after the recent rain, and we would ask that nobody puts themselves in danger and that the police and partner agencies’ efforts to find Nicola are not compromised."
Nicola has been described as white, 5ft 3ins tall with light-brown shoulder-length hair
She was last seen wearing a long black gilet jacket with a hood, black jeans and olive green ankle wellies with her hair in a ponytail.
Nicola has an Essex accent and links to the Thornton-Cleveleys area near Blackpool.
Anybody with information about where she might be is asked to call 101, quoting log 473 of January 27, or ring 999 for immediate sightings.
