Katie Price has privately concluded that her marriage to Lee Andrews is effectively over, according to a source close to the star. The 48-year-old flew to Dubai this week to visit her husband at Al Awir Central Prison, where he is being held on fraud allegations—but she has refused to pay the estimated £100,000 needed to secure his release. The reality personality, who initially claimed Lee was missing and then a spy, now believes the only way he can get out is if she stumps up the cash, a move she recognizes as reckless.

The £100,000 barrier to Lee Andrews' freedom

According to the Daily Mail, the 42-year-old Lee must raise at least £100,000—and possibly as much as £150,000—to leave Dubai's notorious jail. The source says Lee, who had claimed to be a billionaire,reportedly does not possess even one ten-thousandth of that sum. Katie, who has been through multiple bankruptcies herself,has concluded that she cannot and will not pay, leaving her husband indefinitely detained in what the friend called “that hellhole of a prison.”

How a 'billionaire' groom was exposed as a 'chancer'

Friends had warned Price that Lee was not the wealthy businessman he pretended to be, but rather a “chancer ,” the source told the Daily Mail. the four-month marriage has been tainted by allegations from former lovers that he scammed them—one claim involves forging a former partner's signature to obtain a £200,000 mortgage in Dubai, which has triggered a travel ban by UAE authorities. Lee denies being a conman, but the paper reports that his lifestyle has finally caught up with him in Dubai, where he now faces legal proceedings.

Katie Price's pattern of monetizing chaos—and her family's concern

Price's history of turning personal turmoil into media revenue is well-documented: she has weathered multiple bankruptcies, nine engagements, and three divorces.. The source says she will “always try to cash in on the drama surrounding her hectic lifestyle.” Meanwhile, her family is growing increasingly concerned about her mental health and her children's welfare, as she spends time halfway around the world. The fiasco unfolded on her birthday,leaving her without her husband and swamped by allegations that she was complicit in his staged disappearance.

Unanswered questions: Will Lee be released? And what about the £200,000 mortgage forgery claim?

It remains unclear whether Lee can secure his release even if he raises the money, given the travel ban and ongoing UAE legal proceedings. The source also notes that there is no verified account of Lee's alleged forgery of a former partner's signature for a £200,000 Dubai mortgage—a claim that has not been independently confirmed. Whether Katie will eventually step in or file for divorce, as the source predicts she will, remains to be seen.