Why 'it's all about to come crashing down for Katie Price': She claims to have divorced her 'fraudster' husband because he 'duped' her. But, as KATIE HIND reveals, there may be much darker motivations behind the ex-model's latest move...

Katie Price’s ‘marriage’ to Lee Andrews has been only the latest twist in the long-running soap opera of her turbulent love life. And, this week, the former glamour model and reality TV star attempted to cap it all off by claiming she plans to ‘divorce’ her conman husband.

As the self-styled ‘businessman’ continues to languish in a Dubai prison over huge debts racked up by his dodgy financial dealings, this week it was claimed that Katie had finally snapped after she discovered Lee owned only about £2 in his cryptocurrency account, despite his boasts of a £37million fortune.

As one report put it: ‘She has finally come to her senses.’

But while Katie, 48, insists she has now dumped the fraudster, 43, via text message and is now consulting divorce lawyers, fresh clues have emerged that suggest her supposed whirlwind marriage earlier this year was never legally binding.

‘Once again, Katie seems to have pulled the wool over her fans’ eyes,’ says a source familiar with her work. ‘She’s going on and on about “divorce”, but if you look closely, it seems her marriage is a sham. Therefore, neither divorce or losing any money to Lee should 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, pointing out FIVE unexplained elements of her story...

The location

Katie and Lee first supposedly tied the knot back in January at Dubai’s five-star One&Only Royal Mirage beachfront hotel, 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 sought to prove their doubters wrong by bizarrely choosing to register the marriage in neighbouring emirate Abu Dhabi - an almost two-hour journey from Dubai.

Each of the United Arab Emirates’ seven states has its own judicial and court system. So why did the couple travel so far to register their supposed nuptials?

As one associate of Katie’s asks: ‘We all know Lee is on a Dubai travel ban - that’s why he never made it back to the UK. Why go all the way to Abu Dhabi for a certificate?’

Civil marriage application

Supposedly ‘official’ documents were then released to the media by, of all people, the paparazzi agency Backgrid, which is normally Katie’s preferred picture agency. Backgrid frequently places images in the media on her behalf, with Katie receiving a lucrative slice of each picture sold.

But these ‘official’ documents may not quite be as they seem. Among them is an ‘Abu Dhabi Justice Department Civil Marriage Application’. This form, apparently signed by both Lee and mother-of-five Katie, initially appears legitimate and accurately includes both parties’ details. However, the Daily Mail has established that these documents can easily be produced online.

Yesterday we successfully generated an identical document within minutes, using the official UAE website. The documents, therefore, do not appear comprehensive proof that Lee and Katie were ever married.

Another clue that there was no second ceremony is that Katie, never shy of a picture opportunity, didn’t post any photos of it and neither did Backgrid.

‘Katie will always monetise any event,’ says my source. ‘It would be frankly unbelievable that she wouldn’t have posed for the paps.’

‘Marriage certificate’

The marriage certificate, again released by Backgrid (which also snapped Katie enjoying a ‘secret’ holiday in Marbella this week) apparently conforms to Abu Dhabi’s regulations and again seems legitimate.

But in order for a marriage of two non-Emirati nationals to become legal in Britain, the UAE marriage certificate needs to be stamped by the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mofa). It also later needs to be approved formally by the UAE Embassy in London before the British authorities will recognise it.

Neither of these crucial steps appeas to have been taken.

Mofa’s website includes a ‘legal document verification service’ to check the ‘authenticity, integrity and validity’ of any official paperwork from the country. Katie and Lee’s supposed ‘marriage certificate’ returns an ‘invalid document’ result when uploaded to this service.

Katie and Lee’s ‘certificate’ also contains neither the Mofa stamp required for any Emirati marriage to be deemed valid in Britain, or the required QR code: a security feature of modern UAE marriage certificates which can instantly confirm authenticity.

Formal advice for British nationals wishing to marry in the Middle Eastern country says UK authorities ‘will look for proper attestation and official stamping’ and use the QR Code system to confirm a certificate has been officially approved. On that score, Katie and Lee’s supposed certificate wouldn’t pass muster.

The signature

Equally intriguing is the signature on Katie’s side of the marriage application, which appears to bear no resemblance to the one she uses ordinarily, with this being widely circulated online.

The complex scrawl appears to be much longer than those used by her in the past, while the handwriting also appears noticeably different.

Artificial intelligence

Of course, the prospect that any of the couple’s documents or photographs could have been created using AI remains a real possibility. This is especially so given Lee’s fondness for using digital forgery tools in the past.

Previously, images have been circulated purporting to show him meeting stars including tech tycoon Elon Musk and reality superstar Kim Kardashian. Both pictures were later confirmed to have been faked.

Similarly, many images of Lee himself have been enhanced and edited to improve his appearance - even adding generous tufts of hair to his rapidly receding hairline.

The verdict

While Katie may now be insisting she is ‘consulting lawyers’ over her ‘divorce’, there are still far more questions than answers over whether she was ever truly married in the first place, and certainly whether her ‘marriage’ would be recognised in Britain.

It seems her fresh claims of a huge legal wrangle to ‘protect her money’ may be little more than another transparent attempt to ensure she remains the centre of attention.

Katie Price has been contacted for comment.