He reveals heartache in new chat
MADELEINE McCann’s dad broke down during an emotional radio interview about his mental anguish over his missing daughter.
Heart specialist Gerry agreed to speak in a bid to help other men facing loss and grief cope with issues.
He talked about his agony following then three-year-old Madeleine’s disappearance on holiday in Portugal in 2007.
Gerry, 50, opened up about his ordeal in a special show on BBC Radio 4 called Pearl: Two Fathers Two Daughters.
It will be broadcast on September ® 29. He said: “I decided it was a good opportunity to say something about the special bond between fathers and daughters, thinking that speaking openly might help other men.”
Gerry and his wife Kate have struggled with grief since Madeleine vanished from their apartment in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz.
The pair still cling to the hope the youngster – who would now be 15 – could still be alive.
Over the years, GP-turnedmedical-worker Kate, 50, has given heartfelt interviews about her loss, but her husband has rarely discussed his own grief.
In the show he will reiterate “his absolute determination to keep looking for Madeleine”, according to a spokesman for the arts show.
Poet Simon Armitage, who reached out and befriended the McCanns after their ordeal, translates a medieval work called Pearl which recounts a dad’s grief over the loss of his daughter.
Gerry said: “When I read the Pearl poem I could see echoes in it with Madeleine’s situation and our loss.”