A SECOND national TV appeal is to be made for information about the disappearance of university chef Claudia Lawrence.

A group of her close friends have recorded an interview to be screened on BBC 1 on Friday, April 10.

Miss Lawrence, 35, went missing three weeks ago and despite a huge police operation not a trace of her has been found since.

Searches are still continuing and detectives believe Miss Lawrence may have come to harm after meeting someone she knew.

But best friend Suzy Cooper is determined not to give up hope and has recorded the interview together with three other friends, Jen King, Pete Ruane and George Forman.

It will be screened tomorrow on BBC 1’s Missing Live programme at 9.15am.

"I can’t think of anybody who would want to harm her or make her life difficult," said Miss Cooper, an office administrator.

"It is such a mystery and having no clues at all is something I’m finding really difficult to deal with.

"How I’m feeling right now is quite hard to describe – it’s a bit like torture not knowing and not having anything to go on."

She added: "We have to keep the hope alive. Three weeks is a long time when someone is missing, but I’m not ready to accept defeat."

Last week Miss Lawrence’s disappearance was featured on TV’s Crimewatch and around 100 officers are still involved in the investigation.

She was last seen after leaving work at Goodricke College, part of York University, on the afternoon of March 18.

She happily chatted with friends and family by phone and text that night but after 8.23pm all contact stopped - and she failed to turn up for work the next day.

Anyone with any information which could help should contact police on 0845 6060 247.