Claudia Lawrence's father says it's "hard" to believe that the chef is alive

The father of the missing chief, Claudia Lawrence, said that it was "difficult" to believe that she was still alive, almost 10 years after her departure.

In March 2009, Ms. Lawrence was reported missing while she was traveling to work at the University of York. No trace of it has ever been found.

Sitting at his home in York, his father Peter Lawrence said that "not knowing what happened to Claudia was the" worst aspect ".

He added that the decade since his disappearance might seem to be both an "eternity" and no time at all, the Mirror reported.

Peter Lawrence (right), the father of the missing chief, Claudia Lawrence (father), stated that it was "difficult" to believe that she was still alive, almost 10 years to the day since that she's gone

Losing hope that his daughter is still alive, the 72-year-old said: "It's becoming harder and harder to believe than over time. It's very difficult now.

"It just keeps going, of course, because I do not know what happened and it's not knowing who's always been the worst.

"Sometimes it seems like an eternity and other times, it seems like it's not long ago."

Ms. Lawrence disappeared on March 18, 2009, when she was reported missing after failing to report for her shift at 6 am at York University.

The police claimed to believe that the 35-year-old man had been murdered, although no body was found.

Police searched a pub in York in 2009 after the disappearance of Claudia Lawrence.

The arrests took place after a review of the initial investigation, but no charges were ever withheld.

Last year, Mr. Lawrence received an OBE at Buckingham Palace for services to families of missing persons.

He said last year: "She was relatively young. She was 35 when she disappeared. So, she would be a completely different person now, so we missed all that time.

"Whatever this closure, you still hope for closure. Good or bad. You need closure.

The retired lawyer has campaigned for the Guardianship (Missing Persons) Bill, also known as the Claudia Law, pbaded in April 2017.

The law, which applies to England and Wales, allows families of missing persons for more than 90 days to take care of their business.