SHE IS STILL ALIVE, OPRAH; Maddy's mum Kate tells TV host.

Byline: ROD CHAYTOR

KATE McCann has poured out her heart to chat show queen Oprah Winfrey - saying she is convinced she will one day be reunited with missing daughter Madeleine.

After a desperate two-year search, the heartbroken mum appealed for help from the star's millions of viewers worldwide as she insisted there is "a very real likelihood" that the youngster is still alive.

Kate and husband Gerry went global in their relentless hunt by agreeing to be interviewed by Oprah - as a new computer-generated picture was released showing how Madeleine would look today.

The emotional meeting is due to be seen by 44million in America on Monday. It will go out in Britain, Portugal, Spain and the rest of Europe on Tuesday before eventually being watched in 143 other countries. Doctors Kate and Gerry, both 41, hope the huge publicity boost - along with the digitally aged picture - will provide crucial new leads.

In the hour-long TV show, camera crews go inside their home in Rothley, Leics, spending the day with them and twins Sean and Amelie, four. Kate tells how she keeps Madeleine's room ready for her return and goes in there about twice a day.

Oprah asks: "Do you talk to her?" Kate replies: "Just to say hello, really. Just to tell her that we are still going to do everything we can to find her."

At one point Oprah gently enquires: "Do you let yourself go to the worst?" Kate says: "I think it's natural. I know people mean well when they say 'don't let yourself go there' but, as a mum, inevitably there are times when I do. And they're the times that I kind of dip down."

When Oprah asks how their marriage is bearing up under the stress, Gerry admits: "Child abduction, I think, could destroy any family. There's no doubt about it. It's one of the most devastating things. But we've been supported tremendously well and I think that's helped us stay strong and together. We're really united in our goal and our love of Madeleine and Sean and Amelie."

The new image of Madeleine is used in two posters. It appears alongside pictures of her as she was shortly before she vanished.

On the left is the familiar picture in red party dress, wide-eyed and innocent as she stares at the camera, mouth open and showing her first teeth.

Next to it is a picture of a confident-looking schoolgirl with a closed-mouth smile. She is wearing an alice band in her longer but still blonde straight hair, which has a similar fringe.

She wears a blue dress with a white lace collar. Her right eye carries the telltale fleck in the iris.

One poster has the headline Don't Give Up On Me. The other says: Madeleine McCann. Have You Seen This Little Girl? Under identical pictures, each poster carries the same script: "Madeleine McCann was abducted in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on Friday 3rd

May, 2007. If you see her please don't hesitate, contact the local police force immediately.

"Alternatively, call +44 (0)845 838 4699 or visit findmadeleine.com. Thank you. All information will be dealt with confidentially and can be given anonymously."

In an anniversary message on their website last night Kate and Gerry vowed that they would never give up their search and said it was vital for people to remember that their daughter is now that much older.

The couple said: "It is two long years since Madeleine was taken. The pain and anxiety does not lessen, but our determination to find our beautiful daughter remains steadfast.

"We are no longer looking for a four-year-old little girl - but a six-year-old. This is crucial. Just one answered question could provide us with that vital piece of information. We urge you - please do not give up on Madeleine." They added: "Can you imagine a little girl or boy out there - hoping and waiting to be found but for people then to write them off, forget about them, just because there's been no 'news'?

"For that child never to be reunited with their family because everyone had given up on them? Just imagine.

"We urge you to remember Madeleine as a real, living and findable little girl."

Last night, Kate and Gerry were still deciding how they will spend tomorrow, the agonising anniversary of their daughter's disappearance - whether to remain at home or stay with friends.

Next Thursday, a special Channel 4 documentary, Madeleine Was Here, will feature a cold case-style reconstruction based on various witness accounts of what happened the night she vanished Made with the co-operation of the McCanns and their friends, it will also show Gerry returning to the Portuguese holiday apartment for the first time since Madeleine went missing.

TWO YEARS OF AGONY

MAY 3 2007: Madeleine McCann goes missing in Praia da Luz, Portugal.

MAY 5 2007: Portuguese police reveal they believe Madeleine was abducted but is still alive and in Portugal.

MAY 7 2007: Kate makes a desperate appeal to Madeleine's kidnapper.

MAY 12 2007: Madeleine's fourth birthday.

MAY 30 2007: Kate and Gerry meet the Pope at the Vatican. He blesses a photo of Madeleine.

AUGUST 11 2007: Exactly 100 days after Madeleine disappeared, investigating officers publicly acknowledge for the first time that the little girl could be dead.

SEPT 7 2007: Kate and Gerry are made official arguidos - suspects - in the case.

SEPT 9 2007: They fly back to England with the twins.

JULY 21 2008: Their status as suspects is finally lifted by the Portuguese police.

JAN 14 2009: Gerry McCann flies back to the holiday apartment alone for the first time since returning to the UK.

TODAY: The McCanns set appear on Oprah in the US on Monday to highlight the continuing search for Madeleine after her disappearance two years ago tomorrow.

CAPTION(S):

FAMILY McCanns BLESSED Meeting the pope INTERVIEW Oprah talks to Kate and Gerry DESPERATE Plea for help

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Publication:	The Mirror (London, England)
Date:	May 2, 2009
Words:	989
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