Sara Nuwar & Ross Hall in Praia da Luz, Portugal
27 May 2007
The News of the World
Maddie's mum can't be apart
Missing Madeleine McCann's parents last night told how they now have their twins sleeping in their bed- so they can keep a constant eye on them.
Mum Kate revealed she is so haunted by the disappearance of four-year-old Maddie, snatched from her bed while the couple ate, that she hates to be parted from two-year-olds Sean and Amelie.
In the couple's first newspaper interview, Kate spoke about keeping their other children safe and admitted: "The twins sleep in the bed with us now. They help us to get through this."
But she and husband Gerry, both 38, are trying not to be too over-protective towards them in the aftermath of Maddie's abduction.
Gerry said: "We really have to make sure it doesn't affect the twins growing up and their normal childhood."
The couple, both doctors, from Rothley, Leics, revealed Sean and Amelie will see a child psychologist next week.
Heartbreak
Kate said: "They are so young they just get on with things but obviously we don't want them to forget about Madeleine. We are hoping to see a psychologist to explain what has happened to Madeleine to the twins."
Yesterday the family looked like any other as they played in a park close to the apartment in Praia da Luz, where Madeleine went missing on May 3.
Sean played on a slide while his sister went on the swings.
Kate, wearing the now-familiar yellow and green ribbons in her hair, pushed as Amelie shouted, "Higher, Mummy, higher. Good fun".
But behind the smiles lurks the continuing heartbreak of Madeleine's disappearance.
Gerry said: "My waking thought is that the phone by the bedside has not rung. That means Madeleine has not been found."
Kate said: "Madeleine is such a huge personality it's obvious when she's not here.
I'm better in the morning. It seems like a fresh start. Evenings are harder."
The couple confessed they still cannot think about returning home without Maddie.
On a flying visit to Rothley this week, Gerry was unable to go into the house, let alone Maddie's room.
He confessed: "As I drove into the village I was thinking, 'There should be five of us coming home'. But this is not a time for grieving. We believe she is still alive so grief is not the appropriate emotion.
"We are absolutely determined to get her back. But it could have been worse-we could have lost the twins too. There were three children in the room. That's the worst nightmare."
Tears welled in Gerry's eyes as he thought about the first thing he will do when Madeleine returns home. He said: "We will be having a very big hug."
The couple will make trips around Europe to keep the hunt for Maddie in the headlines and then return to Portugal.
Gerry explained: "It's important to make sure Madeleine's profile and image is as well-known as possible.
"We have to cover Spain because we are so close to the borders. But I hope she is still in Portugal because if that's the case it should just be a matter of time before they find her."
Late yesterday Gerry welcomed the decision to release details of a man seen by a witness with what appeared to be a child in his arms in Praia da Luz on the night Maddie disappeared.
The McCanns had threatened legal action if the man's description was not released.
He is described as 35 to 40, 5ft 10ins, medium build, wearing a dark jacket, beige trousers and dark shoes.
Meanwhile, the only officially named suspect surfaced for the first time since being quizzed over her disappearance. Robert Murat, left, 33, drove off yesterday morning from his mother's villa 150 yards from where Maddie was snatched.
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