Kate McCann has been left “exhausted” from years of desperate attempts to locate her missing daughter, Madeleine, according to a family friend.
Tory MP Esther McVey went to school with the mother who has suffered years of anguish with authorities failing on multiple occasions to track down the girl who went missing in 2007.
A new major search has been launched in Portugal, with the police receiving tip-offs about a reservoir 31 miles away from where the British toddler went missing in Praia da Luz.
Speaking on GB News, McVey says she is hopeful the search will finally reach its conclusion.
Esther McVey is a long-term friend of the McCann family
PA / GB News
She told Bev Turner and Andrew Pierce: “Seeing the pictures of the search has brought a lump to my throat. I can’t believe it’s 16 years ago.
“There has been so many false hopes and horizons. People have spotted her, there’s been tip-offs and new information, yet we haven’t found her.
“I genuinely hope for the family that this does bring it to a conclusion and an end.
“When I last spoke to Kate [McCann], she said ‘living with hope is exhausting. Not sleeping, waking up every moment, hoping I will see her. It’s just exhausting’.”
Police have launched a new search for the body of Madeleine McCannN/CPolice divers were seen entering the Barragem do Arade water on Tuesday morning as the new search was launched.
Tents have been erected on the banks of the reservoir and officers from Portugal, Germany and the UK have been spotted together holding briefings.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cranwell said: “The Met continues to work with and support colleagues in Portugal and Germany, with their investigations into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
“Met officers will be in Portugal and I am grateful to the Polícia Judiciária and Bundeskriminalamt for allowing us to be present whilst their work is ongoing, so that we can inform Madeleine’s family of any developments.”
The search will reportedly not be limited to the water, with outer banks also being searched by officers with sniffer dogs, while others were seen with rakes and metal rods.
Esther McVey believes that the search for Madeleine McCann has “shone a light” on the issue of child abduction as it has become a case of worldwide interest.
She told GB News: “Why did it catch a light? This was front page news day after day on an international scale. People thought ‘it could have been me’.
“There were families and communities coming together. You had the Liverpool family, Kate’s family, the Scottish family from Gerry’s side.
“Everybody seemed to be talking about it, and I remember saying at the time that it’s as if Madeleine McCann has shone a bright light on the very dark world of missing children and child abduction.
“Yes, it’s about Madeleine, but we must open this up to help other missing children, Gerry and Kate did that by making sure there is an amber alert system around Europe for missing children.”