Where Kate and Gerry McCann are now - 18 years after Madeleine's disappearance

Heartbroken parents last saw their daughter 18 years ago. The couple were on holiday in Portugal when their three-year-old daughter went missing from their hotel room while they dined in a nearby restaurant.

While the couple have never given up on their search for Madeleine, who has been missing since May 3, 2007, they have had to try and continue with their normal day-to-day life. Madeleine would be 21 this year, with the 18th anniversary just passed, the family have continued to work with detectives to find her.

The couple left Madeleine and her two-year-old twin siblings sleeping in a bedroom and would frequently return to the apartment to check on them. After several check-ins, Kate returned around 10pm to discover that Madeleine had gone missing while her brother and sister slept nearby. Police were quickly alerted, beginning a worldwide search for the toddler.

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is believed to be the prime suspect, and in June 2024, authorities discovered an email account belonging to Brueckner that is “related to the killing” of Madeleine. has spent more than £13million to date on her investigation, known as Operation Grange.

Despite it being nearly two decades, the parents have never lost hope of finding their daughter. We take a look at where Gerry and Kate are today...

Kate and Gerry, who met in 1993 in Glasgow and married five years later, have previously spoken of how they've found a way to put one foot in front of the other for the sake of their twins, Amelie and Sean, now 19. The couple, who still live in Rothley, Leicestershire, are devout Catholics.

However, Kate admitted her faith has been put to the test amid the trauma their family has faced. In an extract from her 2011 book Madeleine, Kate said: "There have been many times when I've felt God has deserted me or that He has let Madeleine down. I've occasionally doubted His existence altogether. And yes, I've been angry with Him..."

The couple have continuously campaigned for their daughter, searching for answers and they say they haven't given up hope. "All we have ever wanted is to find her, uncover the truth and bring those responsible to justice. We will never give up hope of finding Madeleine alive but whatever the outcome may be, we need to know, as we need to find peace,” they said in a statement in 2020 according to .

In an update shared on the 17th anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance, Gerry and Kate said they were grateful to be able to "live a relatively normal and enjoyable life now," despite still living in the unknown about their daughter. The couple, who are from Leicestershire, have tried to continue life and Gerry is currently a research professor in experimental medicine and a professor of cardiac imaging at the University of Leicester.

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Meanwhile Kate stated in her 2012 book 'Madeleine' that she hadn't returned to her job as a doctor, and was spending more time with their other children, while also focusing her attention on the search for Madeleine. The couple heartbreakingly shared how they were still buying gifts for Madeleine on special occasions, continuing to make her a part of their life.

“I think every kind of event that we do, whether it be a birthday or a family occasion or even an achievement or something, that is kind of when you really feel her absence,” Kate said.

"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."

However, in 2021, it was reported that she had returned to the frontline in a time of crisis against COVID-19. She reportedly worked as a doctor in in Leicester and was said to be pleased to be "doing her little bit to help" as the city battled with soaring hospital admissions.

A pal told "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."

It's rare for the couple to make public appearances, and decided to not be featured in the 2019 docuseries The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann, however they are usually seen at an annual vigil in their village to honour Madeleine.

They said in 2023 that their younger children do not want to be in the spotlight, as Kate took to the Find Madeleine website that their wishes had been exploited. She wrote: "As we do every year, we gathered in our village yesterday evening to mark the anniversary of our daughter Madeleine’s abduction.

"I was dismayed, however, that this sadly provided an opportunity for a local journalist to exploit the presence of our younger daughter who does not wish to be photographed or interviewed and was made to feel uncomfortable, especially at such a special moment of hope for Madeleine."

Do you have a story to share? Email niamh.kirk@reachplc.com

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