London Marathon 2025: 'Huge challenge' after X Factor star 'fearing for life' vanishes

Daily Mirror

27-04-2025

It's been three years since Levi Davis went missing and now his close friend is taking on a gruelling test in his honour
When Levi Davis went missing in 2022, his friend Louisa's stomach dropped as she remembered reading a post on social media where he said he feared for his life. The rugby union star was just 24 when he vanished on October 29, 2022 from a trip to Barcelona in Spain.
Levi, who played as a winger for Bath and appeared on The X Factor: Celebrity in 2019 as part of the group Try Star, with fellow players, Thom Evans and Ben Foden, was last seen on CCTV leaving The Old Irish Pub on La Rambla, at around 10pm.
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Ahead of running the London Marathon in Levi's honour and to raise money for Missing People charity, Louisa says: 'It's like an emotional rollercoaster when someone you care for goes missing - there's hope, grief, a fear for their safety. I felt like my stomach literally dropped when I heard he was missing. The pain of losing someone so close, with so many unanswered questions, is indescribable. For Levi's friends and family, the last few years have been an emotional rollercoaster of hope and fear, made even more difficult by misleading media reports.
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'Before his disappearance, Levi posted a video saying he feared for his life and believed he was being followed. He had been staying with someone in Ibiza before fleeing to Barcelona. To honour our wonderful friend and to support others enduring the heartbreak of a missing loved one, I've decided to run the London Marathon in aid of Missing People, a charity that provides critical support to those affected when someone disappears.
'Unlike Levi, I'm not a natural athlete, so this marathon will be a huge personal challenge for me - but I'm motivated by the cause and incredibly grateful for the support and generosity we've received so far. It's going to be an emotional day, but we'll be running together with Levi in our hearts, and for all the people still searching for someone they love.'
Whether it's the mum who had cancer, the friend who died by suicide or, like Louisa, the loved one who went missing - each and every London Marathon runner is raising money for one of the 1,700 charities supported by the London Marathon - often on behalf of a loved one or a cause close to their heart.
While the aerial view of over 50,000 runners is a striking picture, it shows less than a third of all the people who go missing from the UK each single year. The heart wrenching truth is that a staggering 170,000 people go missing from the UK every year - leaving their families torn and not knowing if they are dead or alive.
Among the runners limbering up to run the 26.2 miles this year, is Tom Wheeler, a 19-year-old university student from Farnham in Surrey. He's raising money for Missing People charity after his dad Matt went missing in February 2024 and he and his family later discovered he'd taken his own life.
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'You think it will never happen to you but my world completely flipped upside down when I was told my dad was missing,' Tom told The Mirror. 'It's hard to describe what it feels like when someone you love goes missing, no matter how old you are - whether it's your child, parent or partner, it's gut wrenching, devastating.'
Tom's goal is to raise £2,500 for Missing People but he has already surpassed that and raised more than £5k - money that could be well spent helping to reunite 10 families. But despite the fabulous backing from his supporters, he's worried a couple of serious injuries could stop him in his tracks. 'I never expected to raise that much and I'm so grateful for any donation towards this amazing cause.
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"It would mean the absolute world for the families the charity could help. 'I have a couple of bad injuries so it's not going to be easy but I'll be thinking of dad to try and get me through. The ups and downs of running the marathon are a bit like the highs and lows of life and we all know life isn't always easy. My dad was my inspiration, my guide, I'll definitely be thinking of him when the race gets tough - he'll be helping me through the pain barrier when it's hard to carry on.'
Another man running to raise money for Missing People is James Stammers. Not a day goes by when James doesn't think of his younger brother Anthony, who went missing more than 13 years ago from Colchester in Essex. It was May 27 2012 when Anthony last saw his family and went to stay with a friend in London. When he didn't return home for his grandfather's funeral the next day, his family's concern turned into despair over the days that followed. He was very close to his grandfather and was due to give a reading and had even texted to ask his mum not to forget to press his trousers.
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'It's like being in a perpetual state of limbo and despair when someone you love goes missing,' James tells The Mirror. 'In the beginning it was surreal and confusing but the longer it goes on you start to panic and to consider the worst case scenario. You start to question: are they OK, are they alive, are they living on the street?' Since Anthony went missing James has become a dad to his now one-year-old daughter and says becoming a parent himself has conjured up new feelings of grief and made him realise what his parents are going through.
'Anthony was such a great brother and he would be such a fantastic uncle - he's such a genuine, caring and compassionate person. It's hard not knowing what has happened to him - when someone goes missing with no answers it's different to someone dying - there's no finality, just despair. It never gets any easier but when I put my backpack on with his picture on before I startn the marathon it will give me a sense of purpose.
"I'm raising money for families like ours because Missing People have been a literal lifeline for my parents - what they do to help families is vital and they're quite underfunded compared to the big charities. I know there'll be times during the race that I'm in pain - but that's when I'll be thinking about my brother to help get me through. Anthony, if you're reading this I just want you to know that we love you and miss you and you will always be welcomed back into our family with open arms.'
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In the time it takes to read this article, someone in the UK has gone missing. This is why, in 2025, the Mirror has launched Missed in partnership with Missing People. Our mission is to bring awareness to every publicly listed missing person in the UK through our live, interactive map.
Too many families are left with nowhere to turn as they grapple with the agony of not knowing if a loved one is dead or alive. This must change. The Mirror is calling on the Government for better support and care for missing people and their families.
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The Mirror is calling for:
• The publication of a new missing children and adults strategy to ensure police, health and social care play their part
• Investment in prevention for those at most risk of going missing
• Support to be offered to every missing child and adult on their return