Missing X Factor star Levi Davis’ mum: ‘I believe he’s still alive’

It’s been four years since rugby player and X Factor star Levi Davis went missing in Spain. 

With a lack of funding and a police investigation that has near enough stalled, his devastated mother, Julie Davis, is currently no closer to getting an answer on exactly what happened to her beloved son. 

The Spanish police’s official working theory is that Levi died in a drowning at the Barcelona port on October 30. Eyewitnesses from a nearby cruise ship claim to have seen a distressed man in the water that morning, but no one was found to be missing on the ship, and no further sightings have been reported.

The last confirmed sighting of Levi, then 24 years old, was him leaving The Old Irish Pub on La Rambla, Barcelona, after travelling to the city by ferry from Ibiza on October 29. 

He was then reported missing to the Spanish authorities on November 6. 

‘My last interaction was him being on the boat. He sent a video saying, “Mum, look at the water, it’s beautiful out here. Wish you were here”,’ Julie told Metro with a smile as she recalled her son’s last message to her. 

‘He was quite happy, jolly and looking forward to life really and his travels. There wasn’t anything untoward. Yes, he had his issues, but he was at a place at that point in time where he was just looking forward to living the rest of his life. 

‘I was quite happy for him because he’d been through quite a lot. It was the side of Levi that I had known since he’d been born. Happy and full of life.’ 

It’s been an incredibly frustrating four years for Julie and her family. 

The Catalan police believe Levi drowned at sea, but the family argue there are many holes in that version of events. One question is: why were no other boats or vehicles questioned in such a high-traffic area? Two, if there is no record of Levi on a boat, how did he get out into the water while suffering from a painful ligament injury and likely unable to swim?

In order for the family to obtain answers as to how Levi ended up in the water, they have been instructed to get a lawyer, which costs £12,000 – and money they simply do not have. 

‘I can’t put into words [how frustrating that is]. My life is basically on hold. It’s affecting the whole family,’ Julie said. 

‘It just feels like this can’t be real. I would never have imagined this happening to our family at all. Levi was on his way up and worked hard to get where he was. For this to happen is more than shocking. I feel like I’m watching a movie.’ 

It all comes down to funding, and the family are pleading with the UK government to help with financing the ability to ask the Catalan police questions about the evidence and challenge them on ‘gaps in their investigation’.

Without these answers, Julie says it’s hard to accept the official police line that it’s likely he drowned. 

‘It is [hard to accept] because there are a lot of holes in their investigation. There are lots of lines of inquiry they could be looking at, but we’re having to do that for them. Both the UK and Spanish police.’ 

In April 2025, a new development in the case seemed to provide a possible link to Levi’s disappearance. 

A video that Levi previously shared on social media resurfaced, in which he detailed his ordeal of being drug-raped and subsequently blackmailed, with photos and video from the incident being used against him. Opening up about his horrific experience, it was clear to see the toll it had taken on his mental health. 

His family insist that he was not suicidal at the time of his death, and there is no evidence to support that. They do, however, believe there could be a link between the extortion and his disappearance, but this line of inquiry is yet to produce concrete evidence.

Levi had accomplished a great deal at a young age before he went missing. 

A rugby union player, he made his debut for Bath in 2017 and was signed to Worthing Raiders at the time of his disappearance. 

In 2019, Levi made a career pivot, appearing on The X Factor: Celebrity as part of the group Try Star, alongside fellow rugby players Thom Evans and Ben Foden. He also took part in Celebs Go Dating in 2020, which is the same year he came out as bisexual. 

While several of Levi’s celebrity friends and rugby community were vocal about his disappearance in the early days of the investigation, Julie says the support has diminished, and she has struggled to keep attention on his case. 

Fortunately, she has been working with the Missing People charity to keep Levi’s name alive, and has released a fresh campaign video sharing fond memories of her son. 

Julie has ‘dreamed’ of being able to speak to Levi again and stated: ‘I really do believe that he is alive.’ 

She also shared a message in case he is able to receive it. 

‘Levi, please reach out. We’ll do everything we can to help you. We love you very much and miss you a lot. Your brothers, sisters, we all just want you home.’