A CLOSE friend of missing York chef Claudia Lawrence says she will never forget her former housemate – but she is now trying to move forward with her life.

Jen King, 26, who lives in Heworth, said she knew she would have Claudia’s blessing to start enjoying life again.

She said: “It comes to a point where grief can become incredibly self-indulgent. You can’t carry on feeling sorry for yourself because of what has happened to Claudia.

“You’ve got to carry on with your life the best you can with the hand you’ve been dealt. That is more or less what I’m doing.

“Wherever she is and whatever situation she’s in she would not want me to put everything on hold because of what’s happened to her. I know I would have her blessing to carry on as normally as possibly.”

But Jen, who met Claudia in the Nag’s Head pub, in Heworth, said she was still desperate to find out what had happened to her friend, who has not been seen since March 18, 2009.

She said: “I do still have her in my thoughts every day. She was one of my closest friends and I miss her terribly.

“I don’t want the case to be shelved and forgotten, but the police can’t flog a dead horse – they can’t work with information that isn’t there.

“So now, more than ever, it’s absolutely imperative that any small pieces of information still get filtered through to the police.

“People really need to search their memories. Even if it’s completely insignificant, it might make the absolute difference to the case.”

Jen, who works as an administrator, said she had long resigned herself to the fact that even if Claudia was found alive, she would no longer be the Claudia she knew.

If you have information to help the suspected murder inquiry, phone North Yorkshire Police in confidence on 0845 6060247 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.