Kate McCann: 'I physically can't rest without knowing where Maddie is'

KATE McCann said she can never feel 'at peace' without knowing what happened to her daughter.

The mum of missing Madeleine, who disappeared nine years ago from the family's apartment in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz, told how she feels in an eternal state of 'limbo'.

Speaking exclusively to The Sun she said: "All parents of missing children will say the same thing.

"You just can’t rest without knowing, it’s just that permanent state, often it’s like a physical thing, limbo, a feeling, just not at peace."

The parents of Madeleine McCann, Kate and Gerry, arrive back in the UK with twins Sean and Amelie after their Easyjet flight from Faro airport to West Midlands airport
Kate McCann, pictured here with Gerry and twins Amelie and Sean, said she can't rest until she knows what happened to Maddie  PA


She added: "When I go to church, although that was a comfort, it’s actually tough as well because it is time to reflect.

"But I’m not saying that’s wrong.

"You do have to make yourself go there sometimes because otherwise it’s all bottled up."

Kate, from Rothley, Leicester, said she feels Maddie is still in the Algarve as that's the place she feels "closest" to her daughter.

The mum-of-three explained she has learnt to cope better with the agony of not having Maddie with her family.

She admitted: "Gerry was always better than me from the beginning at jumping into a box and getting on with other things, focusing on other stuff.

"It just took me longer really, although I can do it now and sometimes I hate myself doing that, it doesn’t feel right, but I know it’s a positive thing.

"The first couple of years, if something came into my head I couldn’t stop it, I just couldn't.

"But now, ‘Bang!’ I close the lid.

"It’s better to close it and move on.

"I think it’s a survival thing but it takes different times to kick in for different people."

Kate said the outpouring of support they have received from the public since Maddie, whose 13th birthday is in May, disappeared in 2007 has really helped them.

She is acutely aware her daughter remaining in the public eye for so long has given her family comfort and hope other families with missing loved ones haven't had.

This is the reason she is now throwing her weight behind a new two-week campaign launched in The Sun this week.