Ben Foden breaks silence on missing Celeb X Factor bandmate Levi Davis

An emotional Ben Foden has broken his silence about missing friend and The X Factor: Celebrity bandmate Levi Davis.

Levi, who was part of the rugby trio Try Star in the 2019 reality series, went missing at the end of October 2022 and his friends and family remain in the dark about his whereabouts.

Speaking exclusively to OK! as the one-year anniversary of Levi's disappearance approaches, rugby pro Ben, 38, said he wanted to remain "optimistic" for a happy outcome.

Along with fellow rugby star Thom Evans, Ben and Levi reached the semi finals of the Simon Cowell-fronted X Factor spinoff, eventually finishing fifth, with Towie's Megan McKenna taking the winning spot.

Ben told us: “Levi really struggled with his mental health, but we try to remain optimistic that he’s out there. We really feel for his parents and entire family."

Levi, who was 24 at the time he went missing and playing for Worthing Raiders rugby team, was last seen alone on CCTV footage in The Old Irish Pub in Barcelona, and a £10,000 reward was offered to anyone who could provide information leading to his discovery.

Police later found his passport nearby, but no further traces of Levi.

In 2020 Levi signed up for Celebs Go Dating, alongside Love Island's Shaughnah Phillips and Towie favourite Pete Wicks. He also came out as bisexual that year in a WhatsApp message to his rugby teammates, and was met with huge support for the move.

Six weeks after his disappearance private eye Gavin Burrows appealed for people on the ferry from Ibiza to Spain to get in contact, saying Levi "must have spoken to someone on the ferry during that time".

Investigator Gavin also uncovered a deleted social media post from Levi's Instagram account, which the sportsman posted days before he went missing, in which he said his "life is in danger".

He claimed that after he finished on the X Factor, he was drugged and filmed, and the footage was used to blackmail him. "I am now not safe. By doing this I am not safe…this is me taking my power back," he said.

Then in May this year, Spanish police divers launched an underwater search of Barcelona port after cruise ship staff reported to them trying to save a drowning man in the area. But no further updates were given.

Speaking to The Sun at the time, Levi's mum Julie Davis said she still had lots of questions that needed answering.

“It’s been a total emotional rollercoaster," she said. “The way the evidence is pointing isn’t good but without a body, there’s just no way of knowing what’s happened.”

Source: Read Full Article