Front Page News

Daily Express Front Page for Saturday 27th October 2007 'Be Kind To Kate; says: 'The mother of Kate McCann made a desperate appeal to the public last night. Susan Healy insisted her daughter was not on the brink of a nervous breakdown but begged: “Please be kinder to her. She has enough to cope with.Yes, she is distressed at times and she can’t smile that often at the moment but she is very strong and she is going to fight on to get Madeleine back."

The heartfelt plea came after an astonishing attack on GP Kate by a Spanish psychiatrist, who claimed she was unbalanced. The “vile criticism” prompted Mrs Healy to speak out in defence of her daughter. “People are saying she’s at breaking point but she’s not going to have a breakdown,” she said.

But Mrs Healy, 61, said: “You couldn’t get a more heartfelt interview than that. I’m her mum, I know, and yet people still don’t believe her. Kate and Gerry can’t win either way. Kate was speaking for herself in that interview – there were no restraints on her at all. Yes, she was very distressed at times but she can’t be blamed for that.”

She said a phone poll in which nearly 70 per cent of callers said they thought the couple were lying was yet another smear campaign. She insisted her daughter would not be cowed by it, adding: “Kate is strong and will continue to remain strong. She will not allow this to have a great effect on her."

Talking about 39-year-old Kate’s perceived calmness and coldness and waif-like appearance, Mrs Healy said: “That is just the way she looks. Sometimes she looks gaunt but her stature and her facial expression are like that. She can’t smile that often at the moment, unless she’s with the twins. But she continues to be criticised by certain areas of the media, backed by the public.”