Levi Davis missing: who is former X Factor star and Bath rugby player - what happened during Barcelona trip?

Julie Davis, the mother of missing former Bath rugby player Levi Davis, appeared on Good Morning Britain where she made an emotional appeal for help in the search for her son.

Davis was reported missing in Spain after he was last seen on 29 October 2022 exiting the Old Irish Pub on La Rambla in Barcelona. His family arrived in the city to assist local police with their search. His mother, Julie Davis, has said that her son has experienced mental health issues in the past, and has been reported missing before.

Davis, 24, is known to rugby fans for his career in the sport. He is also known to X Factor fans for a short stint on the celebrity version of the reality show.

Spanish authorities are continuing to search for the young sports star. There are trails of his last appearance in major tourist areas of Barcelona.

Who is Levi Davis?

Levi Davis is a 24-year-old rugby player who currently plays as a winger for rugby union team Worthing Raiders. He began his career at Bath, making his career debut in 2017.

Throughout his career he has played with other teams including Ealing Trailfinders. He signed for the west London team in 2020 and has also played for the England national team. Davis is also the first openly bisexual player to come out while still playing the sport.

In 2019, he starred in X Factor: Celebrity alongside rugby stars Thom Evans and Ben Foden. The trio performed as ‘Try Star’ and placed 5th in the reality singing competition.

What happened to Levi Davis?

Levi Davis was noted to be last seen in Barcelona on 29 October. He was seen on CCTV at 10pm leaving The Old Irish Pub on the city’s famous La Rambla street, an area popular with tourists in the city.

His appearance in Barcelona came after he travelled from the Balearic island of Ibiza on the same day. Authorities were concerned to find that the rugby star had left behind all of his clothes and luggage in Ibiza, only carrying a small backpack with him to Barcelona.

Spanish authorities believe that when he left the pub, he turned left, heading to the Plaça Catalunya. There have been reports of sightings of him on doorstep in Barcelona and also on a beach in the nearby city of Sitges, however these reports remain unconfirmed.

It is believed that he travelled to Europe while he recovered from a sports injury. The knee injury has sidelined the star from rugby.Police have checked local hospitals and confirmed that he has not been checked in. They have also confirmed that he has not been arrested in the city.

What Levi Davis’ his family said about his disappearance?

Davis’ mother Julie travelled to Spain following the disappearance of her son. At the time, she told the Spanish press that she had spoken to him before he arrived in Barcelona, saying: “When I asked him where he would stay, he didn’t want to give me any address, he said he would be moving around and he was an adult.”

Julie also explained that she believed her son may be currently in financial trouble, adding: “Since then [Ibiza] he hasn’t used his bank cards and he only had 40 euros on him.”

She also told Spanish newspaper ABC that Davis has suffered from depression in the past and has gone missing previously.

She said: “He would always come back or we would find him but it’s been 12 days now and this is not normal. He must be disoriented or confused.”

Most recently, Julie appeared on Good Morning Britain with Susanna Reid, in which she made an emotional appeal for help in the search for her son.

She said: “Before he left, there was a message - I don’t know, maybe [from] powers from up above - that said to me, “Give him a hug because you just don’t know if this is going to be your last.”

Reid could be seen reaching across the table to squeeze Julie’s hand, telling her: “What’s encouraging about [reporter Nick Dixon] being out there is he says there’s so much effort being put into finding Levi. The police are on it, we’ve seen signs around on lampposts, podcasts.”

After the show returned from its advert break, GMB co-host Ed Balls explained that Reid “has just stepped out with our previous guest, Julie”.

What’s the latest in the investigation

Private investigators have been putting pressure on the Spanish authorities to pursue new leads in the case.

According to Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia, the 2 year old had reportedly built up significant debts, so large that there are concerns that he could have been poisoned by the mafia.

One of the investigators told the new outlet: “Davis came to Barcelona fleeing from these criminals. He had adopted a frenzied lifestyle and was in a very delicate situation. The truth is he was sure they were chasing him. In fact, he was conviced they had tried to poison him on one occasion.”

The investigator added: “We know a friend sent him £30 on Bizum [a money app] so he could play for a place to sleep in. We also know he intended meeting a person he had met on social media, a person he had never actually seen, a person who could give us very valuable information about what occurred.

“Unfortunately we only have a nickname to go on. Perhaps it was nothing more than bait offered by the mafia who were looking for him. We can’t rule out any hypothesis.”