Gerry McCann has discussed in detail, the heartbreaking night Maddie went missing.
Speaking to Radio 4, Gerry described his bond with Maddie – who went missing during a family holiday to the Algarve in 2007 – as “incredibly special”.
“I formed a very strong bond with her from a young age,” before adding, “One of the TV shows we watched together was Dr Who, which people might think, ‘You can’t have a three-year-old watching Dr Who,’ but she loved it. I would often do the bedtime story with Madeleine too, she had stars above her bed and that was our time.” He also said: “I’d take her to the local swimming pool and she would march around the pool and go up to her instructor with her cap and goggles on, smiling – no anxiety about it, she just went in there!”
Gerry fought back tears as he recalled the night Maddie went missing: “It was disbelief, then panic and terror. I could only think of one scenario at that time. I remember just being in the bedroom [with wife Kate], distraught – the two of us just completely distraught. The pain, feeling helpless and alone together. It was the most painful realisation and we couldn’t get the darkest thoughts out of our minds.”
He also discussed the importance of seeking help, saying: “We went back to the apartment and the counsellor arrived, Alan, and at the time I just didn’t think I was the kind of person who would need counselling or respond to it. But he was great and he said, ‘I’m here, you can call me any time.’ We were getting more and more distraught, until one of us said, ‘Lets phone Alan,’ and he came round to the apartment and he started talking to us, just asking about our normal life at home. After listening to us, Alan said, ‘You sound like model parents,’ and I suppose at the time, that’s something we probably really needed to hear.”
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