Spare a thought for Madeleine McCann’s parents today… and pray you never walk in their shoes
“EVEN though the possibility may be slim, we have not given up hope that Madeleine is still alive and we will be reunited with her.”
Those were the words of Kate and Gerry McCann last April, so one wonders what must be going through their minds as German police start to dredge a reservoir in Portugal in the 16-year search for their missing daughter.
My heart goes out to them. For a discovery might bring closure but snuff out that last vestige of hope they cling to.
And drawing a blank will plunge them back into the daily nightmare of not knowing what happened to her.
Either way, it’s a relentless emotional torture that any parent of a missing child will be familiar with.
Ben Needham’s mum Kerry still endures that torture 32 years after her one-year-old son vanished during a family holiday to Greece, and so do the parents of 14-year-old Andrew Gosden, who left his home in Doncaster on September 14, 2007, got a train to London and hasn’t been seen since.
Not to mention all the other parents whose children — be they under 18 or adult — seemingly vanish into thin air.
Imagine waking up every morning and experiencing those blissful few seconds of oblivion before your mind floods with the torturous reality that your child is missing and you don’t know if they’re alive or dead.
In May 2007, the McCanns were dining with friends next to the swimming pool as three-year-old Maddie slept in their holiday apartment with her younger twin siblings Sean and Amelie.
When Kate went to check on them, Maddie was missing, and she hasn’t been seen since.
But unlike most missing children cases, where the plight of the distraught parents garners only sympathy, the poor McCanns have endured being wrongly named as “arguidos” (suspects) in their own child’s disappearance, as well as suffering disgraceful online trolling by those who remain convinced of their guilt.
Trolls with nonsensical accusations – back off
Maddie would now be 20 and, given the rare examples of abducted children being found many years later with no recollection of their earlier life, it’s understandable that Kate and Gerry still hold on to the “slim” possibility that she might be found alive.
But German police believe she died in Portugal at the hands of their chief suspect, convicted rapist Christian B, who has reportedly referred to a reservoir 30 miles from Praia da Luz as his “little paradise” — prompting this week’s underwater search and dig of nearby land.
So whatever the police do or don’t find, spare a thought for the ongoing plight of the McCanns and all the other parents whose children remain missing.
And if you are one of those armchair detectives who continue to troll them with nonsensical accusations, back the hell off.
God forbid that any of you will ever have to walk a mile in their shoes.
BLAND ALLEY
EXPERIENCED former Cabinet minister Dominic Raab has announced he will step down as an MP at the next general election because he’s become “increasingly concerned over the past few years about the pressure the job has placed on my young family”.
Not to mention the trumped-up “bullying” allegations that appeared to be nothing more than a few over-sensitive souls taking umbrage at being asked to do their job properly.
Ever wonder why nothing seems to get done in Westminster?
Because anyone with character is being forced out, leaving the bland leading the bland.
Princess’s garden is a hive of activity
HERE’S the Princess of Wales in a full beekeeper suit while tending to a hive in the garden of her Norfolk home on World Bee Day.
Also, one imagines, a handy outfit to have as protection against the sting of Meghan Markle’s forthcoming memoir.
LIKE IT... OR NOT
COUNTDOWN star Susie Dent asked people to come up with words or phrases that drive them mad, and was inundated with replies.
“Going forward” was the No1 irritant, followed by “No disrespect, but . . . ”, the word “like” used as a comma, “I wanted to reach out”, and “I’m not gonna lie”.
Please can I add, “Oh my days”, “It is what it is”, “slay”, the word “journey” to describe an entirely commonplace life experience and “But seriously . . . ”, when the preceding statement hasn’t been remotely funny.
Rob’s wife is a hero
THE sight of rugby star Kevin Sinfield carrying his former team-mate Rob Burrow over the finish line at the Leeds marathon is a glowing testament to the power of friendship.
Kevin has rightly been hailed a hero after pushing wheelchair user Rob – who has motor neurone disease – around the 26.2-mile route before the inspiring final lift that went viral.
But there’s another hero in Rob’s life: His wife Lindsey.
Since his diagnosis in December 2019, she has juggled caring for him 365 days of the year while simultaneously looking after their three young children, aged 11, eight and four.
And she ran the marathon that day too.
What a superwoman.
GEEK'S UNIQUE
WHEN the seemingly rock-solid marriage of Bill and Melinda Gates broke up in 2021, it took the world by surprise.
An even greater shock was the discovery that geeky Bill had enjoyed a “years-long” affair with a former Microsoft colleague and had reportedly pursued other staff too. He just didn’t seem the type.
Now a new allegation has surfaced that he had a fling with a Russian bridge player 30 years his junior in 2010.
Crikey. It’s always the quiet ones, isn’t it?