The Katie Price divorce may already be agreed in principle, but ending her eight-month marriage to Lee Andrews could take considerably longer than starting it. English law imposes a one-year wait before either spouse can apply, while questions over Andrews’ alleged £37 million fortune may turn the financial side into a prolonged exercise in locating actual evidence.
Price, 48, confirmed on Good Morning Britain that the relationship was over after months of conflicting claims about her husband, who remains in Dubai’s Al Awir prison. In a voice note played on the programme, Andrews appeared to accept the decision, saying that “divorce is probably for the best”.
Agreement, however, does not cancel the calendar. Family law specialists said Price may have to remain legally married for several more months, then complete the standard waiting periods after proceedings begin. Andrews’ incarceration abroad could also complicate communication and the delivery of legal documents.
Why can’t Katie Price apply for divorce now?
Under the law in England and Wales, spouses generally cannot submit a divorce application until they have been married for at least 12 months. Price and Andrews have reportedly been married for only eight months, meaning she must wait until their first anniversary before formally beginning the process.
Family law expert Susie Barter said Price can still take legal advice and organise her finances before then. Solicitor Daniel Sugaré of Sugaré & Co agreed that the couple could start discussing a financial separation and voluntarily exchange information during the waiting period.
Judicial separation is another possibility within the first year. It can formally recognise that a couple has separated and allow certain financial arrangements to be addressed, but it does not end the marriage. Price would therefore remain Mrs Andrews in legal terms.
Even after she becomes eligible to apply, the process has built-in delays. Sugaré said there is ordinarily a minimum wait of 20 weeks before a conditional order can be granted, followed by at least 43 days before a final order. On that timetable, Price will almost certainly still be legally married at Christmas. Bureaucracy, unlike a whirlwind romance, prefers advance notice.
What happened to the alleged £37 million?
Price said one of the final blows to the relationship came when she investigated a cryptocurrency account that Andrews had allegedly claimed contained £37 million. According to her, the balance was £2.20.
Andrews disputes that account. He said Price checked the wrong wallet because she is not “tech-savvy” and continues to maintain that he is a multimillionaire.
Price told Good Morning Britain that the separation was about trust rather than simply discovering that her husband might have less money than advertised.
“I feel like he scammed my heart and stole my trust that I had,” she said, describing how she had repeatedly defended him after he assured her that allegations about him were untrue.
She said she still loved Andrews but could no longer reconcile his explanations with what she later discovered. Price has also insisted that he did not take her money. She said he paid for dates, jewellery and flights during their relationship.
The disputed cryptocurrency balance was not the first unusually large financial claim linked to Andrews. He previously said he had bought the couple a £36 million home in cash and submitted a bid to purchase Chelsea Football Club. Price also said a ring he described as being worth £72,000 was later valued at about £5,000.
How did Andrews present his wealth and businesses?
When Price introduced Andrews as her partner, he described himself as chief executive of Aura Group Future Urban Travel 2027 and an investor in “SpaceX Hybrid Fitness”. His social media account, which had more than 100,000 followers, showed luxury cars, an expensive Dubai lifestyle and apparent meetings with celebrities including Elon Musk and Kim Kardashian.
Questions soon emerged about that image. Reporters found little public evidence that the businesses operated as presented, while several celebrity photographs were alleged to have been generated using artificial intelligence.
Former partners then made their own accusations. Days after Price and Andrews married, two ex-partners called him a “liar, narcissist and manipulator”. Later reports alleged that he had asked women for money shortly before the wedding.
One former partner, identified as Alana, described him on Instagram as the “Tinder Swindler” and said several women had contacted her with similar claims. During a later podcast appearance, she said: “I genuinely thought that potentially he could have killed me.”
Those remain allegations, and Andrews has denied misleading people. In his voice message to Good Morning Britain, he said he had not “pulled the wool over anyone’s eyes” and accused Price of benefiting financially from their relationship.
Why is Lee Andrews in prison in Dubai?
After the couple met and married in Dubai, Price returned to Britain while Andrews stayed behind. Reports alleged that he had previously served time in Al Awir prison in connection with suspected fraud involving a £200,000 mortgage allegedly taken out in an ex-girlfriend’s name without her knowledge.
People facing criminal investigations in the United Arab Emirates can be prevented from leaving the country. Andrews initially denied that he was unable to return to Britain and suggested officials had the wrong details. Price later confirmed that he was subject to a travel ban, although she did not explain the reason.
It was subsequently reported that Andrews spent four weeks in Al Awir prison over outstanding debts and was released. On July 11, he was reportedly arrested again after trying to raise around £120,000 that he believed he owed.
A message attributed to Andrews read: “They’ve arrested me. Katie might need to bail me out. We need to make a noise with a Go Fund Me.” Lahbab Police Station reportedly said it had no record of him being held there, while Price’s representative declined to comment.
Andrews says his current imprisonment concerns a civil matter and insists he has not been convicted of a crime. He has also claimed that he expects to be released soon.
What happened to the kidnapping claim?
At one stage, Price publicly worried that Andrews had been kidnapped and reported him missing after he failed to return to Britain. He was later found to be in prison in Dubai.
Following an earlier release, Andrews returned to social media with a dramatic explanation. He claimed he had been kidnapped at gunpoint, assaulted and falsely accused of espionage. Dubai authorities disputed the suggestion that he had been detained over spying allegations and described the issue as a private civil dispute.
Court documents later reportedly identified two outstanding cases involving Andrews:
- An alleged debt of about £54,000 connected to a rental car company
- A separate claim for approximately £15,000 in unpaid legal fees
The Dubai episode followed another publicity-heavy moment early in the relationship. Price and Andrews suggested they were expecting a baby, with Andrews writing that they would soon go from a “perfect couple” to three people. Price, a mother of five, encouraged followers to pay £2.99 to learn the result of a pregnancy test. She later confirmed that she was not pregnant. Even by celebrity relationship standards, the administrative burden was becoming substantial.
Could a court investigate the claimed millions?
If financial proceedings begin, both spouses would normally have to provide full and frank disclosure of their financial positions. That could finally require evidence for Andrews’ claimed fortune rather than social media photographs and declarations.
Barter said a court would not simply accept the £37 million figure. It would examine assets, income, liabilities and other financial interests. Deliberately concealing assets or providing misleading information can carry serious consequences.
Sugaré said disclosure would usually be made through a Form E. The document can cover:
- Property and bank accounts
- Investments and business interests
- Pensions and income
- Loans and other debts
- Assets held overseas
If Andrews continued to assert that he was worth about £37 million, he would be expected to substantiate it. Bank statements, company accounts, tax records, valuations and proof of ownership could all be requested. A court can order additional disclosure if the information provided leaves gaps.
Failure to disclose assets may result in penalties and could allow a financial order to be overturned later. Put simply, adding eight zeroes to a claim does not make it an asset.
How could Price’s own finances affect the case?
Price has a complicated financial history of her own. Her fortune was once estimated at £40 million during the height of her modelling and television career, but she was declared bankrupt in 2019 and again in 2024.
She has since rebuilt parts of her career through OnlyFans, television work and live shows. Any financial negotiations would examine her current position rather than rely on old estimates from her peak earning years.
The short duration of the marriage will also matter. Barter said it does not automatically prevent either spouse from making a claim, but a court would consider how long they were together, their respective finances and what outcome would be fair.
In a marriage lasting only months, greater attention may be given to:
- What each spouse owned before the wedding
- Whether any wealth was created during the marriage
- How far they combined their finances
- Each person’s current financial needs
That differs from a divorce after a 20-year marriage in which a couple built wealth together. Still, there is no automatic rule that removes financial claims because the marriage was brief.
Andrews has argued that Price profited from their relationship and accused her of having “sold him out”. She maintains that the alleged dishonesty, not his apparent financial position, ended the marriage.
Can imprisonment abroad stop the divorce?
Andrews’ detention in Dubai may slow the practical work, but it cannot give him a veto. Barter said overseas incarceration could make communication and service of documents more difficult, potentially adding steps and delays.
Sugaré said an English divorce can still proceed while one spouse is imprisoned abroad. Price’s lawyers would need to ensure that the required paperwork was properly delivered to Andrews in accordance with the relevant rules.
Under the no-fault divorce system, he could not block the case merely by insisting that the marriage should continue. Challenges are largely limited to legal issues, such as whether the marriage is valid or whether courts in England and Wales have jurisdiction.
Before Price can apply, both lawyers recommend creating a detailed financial record. That would include bank and investment statements, tax returns, company records and evidence showing which assets existed before the marriage.
Barter said there was no reason to wait for the first anniversary before investigating Andrews’ true financial position. Given the difference between £37 million and £2.20, early preparation may be the least surprising part of the entire affair.
