Madeleine McCann has been missing for over eleven years now, and her parents refuse to give up hope of finding their daughter.
In 2007, the girl disappeared on a family holiday to Portugal, and the British government aided the family in leading a continent-wide search.
But the tragedy remains heavy on the hearts of parents Gerry and Kate.
Nevertheless, the two choose to remember Madeleine in her happiest days, recalling fond memories shared with the family.
And they recently opened up about what life was like with their daughter before that tragic day.
Speaking on Radio 4, Gerry described little Madeleine's personality and how happy she was:
“I formed a very strong bond with her from a young age,” he said recalling their tradition of Dr. Who nights. “She loved it.”
The young girl also enjoyed trips to their local swimming pool in the summer.
“She would march around the pool and go up to her instructor with her cap and goggles on, smiling - no anxiety about it, she just went in there!"
The brave girl did not care about what others thought of her, she only wished to enjoy life and express her fun and quirky character.
This is the version of their daughter Gerry and Kate choose to remember and miss so dearly.
And during the worst days when the grief surges to the surface and the parents are overwhelmed by the ‘what ifs’, they look to their two daughters to help them through.
The father described “the pain, feeling helpless and alone together. It was the most painful realisation and we couldn't get the darkest thoughts out of our minds.”
“Getting through the nights was the hardest, the thing that kept us afloat was the twins - having two other children - trying to make sure they had enough love and the attention they deserved was incredibly important.”
Earlier this year, Madeleine McCann’s parents released a statement honouring their daughter on the eleventh anniversary of her disappearance.
“We couldn’t bear for Madeleine to be forgotten or to become just a ‘story’,” the parents said.
“She is a real person and still our ‘little girl’ and as we always have, we will endeavour to do whatever it takes to find her.
“Thank you so much for staying with us on this mission.”
