She was speaking ahead of the sixth anniversary of little Maddie’s disappearance from a holiday apartment in Portugal on May 3, 2007

Forgiveness: Kate McCann

Tormented mother Kate McCann says that she will somehow try and find it in her heart to forgive the person who snatched her daughter. 

Speaking ahead of the sixth anniversary of little Maddie’s disappearance, brave Kate said: “I think I could probably forgive Madeleine’s abductor whatever the circumstances.

“Maybe there is an element of pity – what kind of person could do something like this?

"I can’t change anything and I don’t want to be eaten up by hatred and bitterness.

“I don’t know whether it’s simply because I’m stronger or because there’s no benefit in not forgiving someone.

"Of course, forgiveness will always be easier if there is remorse.”

Maddie was taken from a holiday apartment in Portugal’s Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007.

Kate said she still persecutes herself about the decision to leave Maddie and their twins Sean and Amelie, now eight, sleeping alone while she and husband Gerry dined close by with pals.

The devout Catholic, 45, said she was still haunted by the thought of her daughter – whose 10th birthday is also next month – being scared.

She added: “The thought of her wanting and needing her mummy and daddy provokes so much pain when I wander down that particular path.”

Won't stop looking: Kate and Gerry McCann

Kate and Gerry, also 45, cling to the hope that Maddie could still be alive.

The couple from Rothley, Leicestershire, have vowed to never stop searching for their daughter who vanished days before her fourth birthday.

Former GP Kate said: “There is nothing to suggest that Madeleine is not alive. We have to keep looking for her.

"We all know there are cases of missing children, presumed dead, who have been found alive years, sometimes decades, later.”

Last year, as part of Operation Grange, a Metropolitan Police review into the case, police released a progression image of what a grown-up Maddie might look like.

Kate added: “We are encouraged by what the Met team has done and found. But living in limbo with this void and uncertainty is truly dreadful.

“There are moments when you despair, but they are infrequent now. It’s not that your burden gets any lighter – it’s just that your legs get stronger.”

Missing: Maddie disappeared nearly six years ago

Kate also told how she goes into her daughter’s bedroom twice a day, opening and closing the curtains.

It has remained untouched since Maddie disappeared but is now full of photos, unopened Christmas stockings and birthday gifts.

Kate said she was in a better place nearly six years on and that her marriage had surprisingly survived through the heartache.

She said: “I’m pleased, and relieved, to say our relationship is really good despite the awful things we have been through.”

Kate continues to fundraise for the Find Maddie campaign and is ambassador for Missing People, which supports families of 250,000 people who go missing in Britain every year.

The keen runner is also hoping to raise £20,000 for the charity by competing in her first London Marathon on Sunday. 

She vowed: “I am a finisher. I’ll get round.” 

* You can sponsor Kate McCann on her JustGiving page