Liverpool born Kate McCann speaks about three years without Madeleine

Kate and Gerry McCann appear on GMTV

The Liverpool-born mum of missing Madeleine McCann has spoken of her heartache as the three year anniversary of her daughter's disappearance approaches.

Although despite the approaching milestone, Kate McCann, 42, told GMTV's Lorraine Kelly how she actually finds Madeleine's birthday harder to cope with.

Madeleine was three when she went missing from an apartment during a family holiday in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz on the Algarve on 3rd May 2007.

The youngster's birthday falls just over a week later on 12th May.

Kate, whose parents still live in Mossley Hill, said: "Her birthday is actually much more difficult day for us than May 3rd. May 3rd really is just another day without Madeleine, but the 12th is obviously a day when we should be celebrating Madeleine, celebrating with Madeleine."

GP Kate and husband Gerry also slammed British authorities, who they believe have "given up" on looking for their missing daughter

Gerry, 41, said: "It is not right that an innocent, vulnerable British citizen is, essentially, given up on. We don't think it is right that, as parents, we have to drive the search.

"Of course, we will but not everyone has the same resources that we have had."

Gerry, also a GP, said it was "incredibly frustrating" that police in Portugal and the UK had not been actively looking for Madeleine "for a very long time".

The couple, who live in Rothley, Leicestershire, hired private investigators to hunt for their daughter and are in the process of releasing a pack of publicity material for people to take with them when they travel abroad.

Gerry added: "It is very much about keeping her image out there. Who knows who will end up seeing her. But if you don't have an image of her out there it is less likely."

The couple also spoke of how they try to maintain some "normality" for the sake of their five-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, despite the burden of living without their eldest daughter.

Kate revealed how, as the twins have grown up, they have become more aware of the family's situation.

Kate said: "I think it was last year Amelie said to me, 'Has Madeleine run away?'

"That really upset me because I thought I don't want her to think that Madeleine is at fault. So, probably about the third time she asked when we were at home we just explained that someone had taken Madeleine.

"But we tried to make them understand in as gentle a way as possible. So they know someone has taken her and they know it is wrong."

She also recalled an occasion where Sean's playmate asked her, 'Are you a doctor?'.

Kate said: "Sean just came in and said, 'Mummy was a doctor but her job now is to find Madeleine'. He was straight in there. So they understand that we have got a lot of support."

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