Nearly two decades after his daughter vanished, Gerry McCann has spoken candidly about the profound personal cost of the relentless media attention that followed. In a rare interview, he described the coverage as a sustained “monstering” by sections of the British press and said his family was fortunate to have endured it.
Madeleine McCann was almost four years old when she disappeared from the family’s rented holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007. She has never been found. In the months and years that followed, the McCanns became the focus of intense public and press interest. Gerry McCann told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that this attention went far beyond standard reporting and began to inflict serious harm on the family.
He recalled periods when journalists regularly appeared at their home and pH๏τographers pressed cameras directly against the windows of their car while their two-year-old twins sat inside, leaving the young children frightened. For more than a year, he said, the family faced a stream of misleading headlines and continuous intrusion. The pressure eventually became so severe that they felt compelled to take legal action in an attempt to stop it.
“We are lucky we survived,” McCann stated. “We had tremendous support – but I can promise you, there were times where I felt like I was drowning. And it was the media, primarily.” He described feeling “suffocated and buried,” with little sense of escape, and argued that the press had repeatedly interfered with the official investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance, which he believes hindered the search for her.
McCann is now calling for stronger oversight of the UK media. Together with his wife Kate and more than 30 others — including the mother of the late television presenter Caroline Flack — he signed a letter urging Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to restart the second phase of the Leveson Inquiry. That phase was intended to examine unlawful practices by the press and the relationships between journalists, politicians and the police, but it was never completed.
He expressed disappointment that press regulation no longer appeared to be a priority after the change in government. McCann suggested that political reluctance to confront the media was a major reason the inquiry’s second stage had been abandoned. He also criticised elements of the press for amplifying attention around a woman who falsely claimed to be Madeleine and was later convicted of harᴀssment.
Looking back on the years since 2007, McCann maintains that unchecked media behaviour can destroy lives and obstruct justice. He continues to argue that meaningful scrutiny and accountability are still needed to protect other families from experiencing the same prolonged pressure, distortion and personal toll.
Sources : Sky News and BBC News
