Corrie Mckeague: Missing airman 'due to become a father'

Miss Oliver and Mr Mckeague had been together for about five months before he disappeared

Missing RAF serviceman Corrie Mckeague is due to become a father, his girlfriend has told the BBC.

Mr Mckeague, from Fife, vanished after a night out in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, on 24 September.

April Oliver, 21, had been in a relationship with the 23-year-old, who is based at nearby RAF Honington.

Ms Oliver, who discovered she was expecting his child two weeks after his disappearance, said: "I've had to make a massive decision by myself."

Live updates on this and other Suffolk news

Corrie Mckeague: What do we know about his disappearance?

"I was hoping and praying that he'd come back so we could make the decision together," personal trainer Miss Oliver, from Norfolk, added.

Mr Mckeague did not know his girlfriend was expecting before he vanished. She discovered the news in October.

The baby is due in late spring/early summer

The pair, who met via a dating site, had been together for about five months before Mr Mckeague went missing.

Miss Oliver described him as an "absolute gentleman".

"He's just the sweetest and most outgoing person I've ever known," she told BBC Look East.

"There is nothing I would love more than for him to walk through the door and say 'I'm back'."

April Oliver discovered she was pregnant with Corrie Mckeague's baby just weeks after he went missing

Miss Oliver said she was on holiday in America when Mr Mckeague went missing, but returned to the UK as soon as she heard the news.

"I was concerned," she added. "I knew it was out of character. I was quite worried."

She said she decided to speak about her pregnancy so that she could focus on looking after herself and her baby without any intrusion.

"Most people only tell their close friends but I'm faced with a decision where I need to tell near enough the whole UK.

"It's hard and it's going to add another level of stress I don't really need but it's something that has to be done," said Miss Oliver.

Nicola Urquhart said she was balancing the joy of becoming a grandmother with the continued uncertainty of her son's whereabouts

Mr Mckeague's mother, Nicola Urquhart, went with Miss Oliver for the scan.

She said: "It's incredibly difficult to bounce my head from the excitement of a new baby to what we're actually trying to focus on, which is finding Corrie."

Mr Mckeague, from Dunfermline, was last seen on CCTV walking alone in Bury St Edmunds at 03:24 BST.

A team of private investigators, paid for by online crowdfunding, began inquiries on behalf of the family to complement the Suffolk Police investigation on Friday.

Corrie Mckeague was last seen at about 03:20 BST on 24 September