BBC - Newsnight

Kirsty Wark : Part of the push now is a political push, isn't it ?

Kate MC : That's right. We've been asking for a review of Madeleine's case now for a couple of years and I dare say it hasn't happened, it's 4 years now since Madeleine was taken and there has not been a review done at all. As you know there was no police force either looking for Madeleine since July 2008. We truly believe that a review is essential to take us close to Madeleine, there's a awful lot of information that came in this inquiry, that information in Portugal, it's in Britain and it hasn't been pulled together upon a searchable data base so we see it's a kind of jigsaw with a lot of bits that have not been necessarily brought together.

KW : Just looking at the book, when you really in a sense laid yourself bare and I think it's quite interesting because during the days following Madeleine's disappearance you were very restrained, very quiet (KMC smiles) and that was obviously your way of dealing with what was going on, but you've, in a sense you've opened up in this book and particularly about your relationship and how hard was that to do ?

KMC : I think I'm quite a private person, so it hasn't come naturally to be honest, I think I've learnt over the last 4 years or I've developed a kind of protective layer really, so I think I'm tougher and able to shoulder more than I was and I didn't feel I could do something that wasn't as complete and as honest as it could be really and I think it'd be unrealistic if I didn't explain really how and how much the impact it had on all aspects of our lives really..

KW : You did say in the book that you (reading) "wondered whether we haven't already given so much of ourselves and our family to the world". So did you talk about the extent to the personal revelations of the book together before you wrote it ?

KMC : We did, you know, it wasn't a decision we've taken lightly, you know, we had to get a lot of thoughts, and...

Gerald MC : (interrupting and all laughing) I would have wasted that ??? I mean we did and some things have come up but at the same time, Kate, she can take attention to detail and the determination she has, when she says she's going to do something, she does it properly and as an important aspect of the devastation that abductions cost to families so... why so many relationships break down.

KW : Yes, because of course you kept a diary from the day when Madeleine disappeared, presumably because you are also at different stages, you're (looking at GMC) doing different things and probably had read everything that Kate had written...

GMC : I hadn't read any of her diaries and still haven't. I saw, I read the first versions of the book.

KW : So, but you recognize presumably that when Kate said you had a different responses to the trauma at different times, and you said that too that you know it was different, sometimes naturally resentful and Gerry seemed to be able to carry on.

KMC : I couldn't understand really how energetic Gerry could be at that stage and I wasn't, you just assume that everybody would respond like you and Gerry would express his grief just the same way I was doing. And at the same time, you know, I'd kind of be hard on myself really because I wasn't able to do as much as Gerry could, as quickly really and I wanted to do a lot for Madeleine as well, so in hindsight I look back and I can think thank goodness you know Gerry got to that stage really and kicked the campaign off.

KW : But for such a private person when you write about, you know, the problems of physical intimacy in the days and weeks following, I think that's quite surprising for people that you have revealed that, because of course that is in the Sun headlines.. (GMC laughs)

KMC : (big smile and laugh) Absolutely. Yeah again you know, it just obviously half had an impact on our relationship, we are very lucky that we had such a strong relationship really to start with..

KW : Are you in anyway kind of overprotective of the twins at the moment ?

KMC : Hm I mean I hope we have got the balance right, I think I was always a bit worried about... (sigh) yeah you know we try and give them freedom within reason but there are a few things that changed, just some things like going to the petrol station and come out of the car without feeling something...

GMC : I'm sure we're not the only people that have changed then.. just the things you wouldn't have considered a risk before, what we did before we just didn't consider to be a risk.

KW : And if there's been any naysayers about that and what you must think all the time on something that was part of the story..

GMC starts answering, KMC interrupting

KMC : Yeah we have to face this all the time and whenever we do an interview we have to face that decision we made and I hope we've explained why we did it, we wouldn't have done anything to put our children at risk, but at the same time (smiling, meaning here is the issue) there's an abductor out there who's off the hook at the moment, there's no investigation to find them.

KW : And after a hundred days since Madeleine had disappeared, in the book you quote from a note you wrote to her and saying you hoped that she was with someone who loved her and so in a way what is the most benign story you can think of ?

KMC : (half smile) Well no story is nice nor pleasant because she should be with us, but I guess somebody who wants a child, you know, who didn't have a child or lost a child, and somebody who really loves having Madeleine you know, she's not hard to love (half laugh), believe me, and certainly Sean and Amelie that's their take on it, they think that somebody loved so much Madeleine that they want her..

GMC : It seems ridiculously far fetched but you think she was stolen to order, that's me, people say that what has happened us has been ridiculous,  any scenario starts to become within the bounds of reality, so it's quite difficult, but what we know now from the States and the National Center for Missing Children the younger the child is taken, the more likely it has been taken to be kept, so Madeleine is on that cusp rather than the profile of a child who was taken by sex offender.

KW : But on that basis you write the most distressing thoughts and you write very graphically about it, you wanted to take your skin off, I mean can you talk to me a little bit about that ?

KMC : It was very graphic, what was going in my head, it was hideous, also because it was our biggest fear, you know, so it's very, it was impossible for me to dismiss it, we are realistic, we know that it's a possible scenario, but just the thought of someone so lovely and beautiful, our child, being subjected to something like that was enough to destroy us, you know, and the feelings, the fear and the images which are so vivid are very destructive, hmm, at that time it was very difficult to try and rid them out of my brain, very difficult to think about the scenarios because that was the biggest fear.

KW : Why are you so sure that Madeleine is still alive ?

KMC : I think there is a really good chance she's still alive (smiles as someone who knows better), the fact that there is no evidence at all that she has come to any harm, that's number one, we've known of many cases of children who disappear for years and have been abducted and you know probably written off and they have turned up alive, (voice raises) I guess I feel she's out there and, who knows, maybe every mother would feel like that, I don't know, I just have that feeling that this is not over and that it's certainly not telling me to stop or slow down, so...

KW : Is that part due to faith ?

KMC : I don't know, I really don't know, to be honest, my faith tells me whatever she is, she's fine. 

KW : Thank you.