A husband has made an emotional plea for his missing wife to return home saying: "Please come home".

Nobody has seen or heard from Gillian Bhatt since she disappeared from her home in Shelby Road, Worthing, on September 22 last year.

Her husband Kenny admitted life "has been a living nightmare" since the mother-of-three went missing.

He said: "One day I feel fine and the next something happens to make me think she's lying in a ditch somewhere.

"Every time somebody knocks the door I fear the worst. It is well out of character. If you had given me odds of 1,000,000/1 I would never have believed she would go.

"The first month after she went was the worst."

Mr Bhatt and his three sons Jamie, 24, Danny, 22, and Ricky, 18, put up 150 posters across Worthing and Brighton appealing for information about Mrs Bhatt, 50, shortly after she vanished.

He said: "We were running around like headless chickens. We thought she might come back at Christmas. Ricky and I waited up until 4am on Christmas Eve in case she turned up, but she never did.

"Every time the phone rang we thought it would be her, but it was always people asking if there was any news.î A police investigation showed several withdrawals of cash had been made from Mrs Bhatt's bank account at cities in the north of England and Scotland.

Regular withdrawals had been made from cash points in Glasgow, Carlisle, Preston and Blackpool.

But the withdrawals suddenly stopped in December and prompted fresh concerns from the police.

Mr Bhatt said: "When she was about 18 she worked in Blackpool for about six months. I don't know if she's had a nervous breakdown and ended up back up there.

"We hope and pray that one day something will click in her head and she will come home.î The worried husband made a direct plea to his wife to come home and pleaded with anyone with information on her whereabouts to contact the police.

He said: "Please come home. We all love you. Don't worry about anything. If you have any problems we can sort them out. Your family needs you."

He believes Mrs Bhatt may have suffered from depression following several deaths in the family during recent years.

But he still believes she is alive and could one day return home.

Mrs Bhatt left a note on the day she went missing from the family home, in the Durrington area of Worthing, saying she was going to visit her sister in Brighton.

He said: "I thought it was strange when she wasn't back. She often goes to see her sister though and stays over night.

"It was only one day, but it was still strange and by Monday, when she still wasn't back, I began to get really worried."

Mr Bhatt said he called his wife's sister and discovered she had not seen her.

He said: "My leg started shaking then and it was like I was going to black-out.

"I phoned the police straight away and all the hospitals in Worthing and Brighton, but we couldn't find her."

Police this week admitted they were concerned for Mrs Bhatt's welfare.

Detective Inspector Rob Walker, of Sussex Police, said: "We believe she has connections in both Blackpool and Carlisle. She has stayed in hotels and used cash-point machines.

"Then, suddenly, there were no more withdrawals from her accounts. We are keen to hear from anyone who knows her or has any information.

"I would like to appeal to Gillian directly. If you are worried, we can discuss your concerns. I would welcome a call from you."

Anyone with information should contact Worthing police by calling 0845 6070999.

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