Madeleine's mother tells abductor: 'It's not too late to give her back'

Kate McCann made the emotional appeal just a few yards from where the youngster was snatched from her bed in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz on May 3.

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Her husband, Gerry, said: "Every day is hard. Every day is very, very tough.

"Madeleine has such a strong personality that it's really difficult not having her with us.

"There are some very positive days when we've achieved things or have big events.

"But this is all secondary. The only important thing for us is getting Madeleine back and we hope that what we are doing increases the chances of that."

Asked what she would like to say to her daughter's kidnapper, 38-year-old Mrs McCann said simply: "It's not too late - please give her back."

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The couple, from from Rothley in Leicestershire, moved with their two-year-old twins into a new apartment in Praia da Luz this week as they prepare to stay in Portugal for the forseeable future.

Mr McCann, 39, said: "We don't want to look back in another two or three months and say 'I wish we had done that'.

"At the minute the decision is we want to stay in Portugal as we feel we can do more here.

"There's still a high possibility that she is in this region."

Mr McCann will briefly return to the UK next month to give an interview about the role of the media in the hunt for his daughter at the Edinburgh International Television Festival.

He will talk to BBC Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark about the how Press and TV reports have helped in the campaign, as well as their battle to keep Madeleine in the media spotlight.

Previous speakers at the annual Richard Dunn interview have included Simon Cowell and Chris Evans.

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Mr McCann praised the UK Press for its help in the campaign.

He said: "There's no doubt that the British media have put a huge amount into this and want us to find Madeleine.

"I think it has helped. They are powerful.

"I'm pretty sure it has played a role."

The McCanns also apologised after complaints that an advertisement about Madeleine's disappearance had been shown in cinemas before the children's film Shrek the Third.

The commercial focuses on a photo of the four-year-old and describes how she was "snatched".

It goes on to say that "Madeleine's parents are devastated but they haven't given up hope", and asks for help to reunite the girl with her family.

Angry parents posted over 400 comments on the Mumsnet website, many saying that they had complained to the Advertising Standards Authority and cinema operators.

Some complained that, having tried to protect their children from the story of Madeleine's disappearance in the media, they were confronted by it in the cinema.

Others said that they felt their power to decide how much to tell their children had been taken from them.

A spokeswoman for the McCanns' campaign said she was very sorry for any offence caused.