New appeal on Madeleine anniversary

12 April 2012

Madeleine McCann's parents are releasing an image of how their little girl may look if still alive.

It will be two years on Sunday since she vanished from a holiday apartment in the Algarve and the then three-year-old would be five, nearly six.

Gerry and Kate McCann have employed a forensic imaging artist from the United States' National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children to create a photographic impression of how Madeleine would probably look today, with the image being unveiled on the Oprah Winfrey TV show.

Without evidence to the contrary, the McCanns, from Rothley in Leicestershire, still believe there is "a very real likelihood" Madeleine is alive and well.

The age progression will be used on posters for a fresh drive to find their daughter.

It is being shown on the Oprah Fridays Live show ahead of the broadcast of the star's interview with the McCanns, extracts from which have been released.

In the one-hour interview, to be aired in the US on Monday, she asked them: "Do you let yourself go to the worst?"

Mrs McCann replied: "I think it's natural. I know people mean well when they say don't let yourself go there, but as a mom, inevitably there are times when I do. And they're the times that I kind of dip down."

The interviewer asked them about their marriage. Mr McCann said: "Child abduction, I think, could destroy any family. There's no doubt about it. It's one of the most devastating things. But we've been supported tremendously well and I think that's helped us stay strong and stay together."

Mrs McCann said she keeps Madeleine's room ready for her return and said she goes in there about twice a day.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in