It’s been 17 years since Madeleine McCann disappeared during a family holiday in Portugal – and mum Kate McCann has never given up hope.
Madeleine, who was then just three years old, vanished from the McCann’s holiday apartment in Pria Da Luz on May 3, 2007. Despite extensive search efforts, the little girl’s whereabouts remain unknown to this day, reports the Mirror.
For Kate, thoughts of her missing eldest daughter are never far from her mind. Having experienced every parent’s worst nightmare, Kate and husband Gerry have remained strong for their twins, Sean and Amelie, all while continuing to search for the child whose birthday they still celebrate every single year.
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As a voicemail left on a Scotland Yard answer machine potentially reopens the Madeleine McCann case, the Mirror examines Kate McCann’s current life, from her challenging marital issues to her significant new job role.
Strain on marriage and intimacy issues
Kate McCann, now 56, has previously spoken openly about the profound impact her daughter Madeleine’s disappearance has had on her personal life, particularly on intimacy. In her poignant 2011 memoir, ‘Madeleine: Our daughter’s disappearance and the continuing search for her’, Kate disclosed: “The first was my inability to permit myself any pleasure, whether it be reading a book or making love to my husband. The second stemmed from the revulsion stirred up by my fear that Madeleine had suffered the worst fate we could imagine: falling into the hands of a paedophile.”
These harrowing thoughts ‘tortured’ Kate to such an extent that even the idea of sex became ‘repulsive’ to her. She further expressed: “I worried about Gerry and me. I worried that if I didn’t get our sex life on track our whole relationship would break down.”
Fortunately, Gerry showed understanding towards her struggles, and their marriage remains resilient. In terms of her career, Kate stepped away from her role as a GP to dedicate herself to the search for Madeleine. Yet, in 2021, amidst the turmoil of the COVID-19 pandemic, she felt compelled to return.
A close family friend revealed to The Sun that Kate took up a position as a doctor in Leicester hospitals, which were among the hardest hit by the virus. The source revealed: “Kate’s back working as a doctor. She’s helping out at her local hospitals now and not doing any surgery work. She has thrown herself back into a full-time job to assist others in need. There’s such a demand for qualified medics during these unprecedented times.”
Tear-jerking Tradition
Despite the years that have passed since Madeleine’s disappearance, Kate continues the poignant tradition of buying her daughter presents for her birthdays and Christmas each year. In 2017, marking the tenth anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance, Kate disclosed: “I do all the present buying. I think about what age she is and buy something that, whenever we find her, will still be appropriate so there’s a lot of thought goes into it.”
The devastated mother also spoke of Madeleine’s birthday as ‘a difficult time because that’s when you really feel her absence. ‘ In her book, Kate recounted how the family keeps Madeleine’s memory alive by holding heartfelt birthday tea parties and filling her room with gifts, in the hope that one day Madeleine will return to open them.
Kate penned: “Monday, May 12, 2008, was Madeleine’s fifth birthday. As we’ve continued to do since, we had a tea party at home, with balloons cake, cards, and presents. The presents go into Madeleine’s room to await her return. Her pink bedroom remains exactly as it was when she left it but it’s a lot busier now. There are gifts people have sent from teddy bears to rosary beads and photographs and pictures Sean and Amelie have drawn for her pinned on the walls.”
She added: “She also has a keepsake box in which the twins leave little things for her: the last sweet in their packet, a new drawing, sometimes just a leaf that has taken their fancy. Everyone sits in there from time to time to feel close to her. The children sometimes borrow toys to play with for a while but they always return them for Madeleine.”
On the occasion of Madeleine’s missed 20th birthday party last year, Kate and Gerry posted a resolute message on the Official Find Madeleine Campaign Facebook page: “Happy birthday Madeleine. Still very much missed. Still looking. For as long as it takes..”
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