Susanna Reid has confessed that the disappearance of Madeleine McCann had a profound effect on her, admitting she 'didn't sleep for two weeks' after the three-year-old vanished in Portugal in 2007.
The Good Morning Britain host was co-presenting the ITV programme with Ed Balls on Tuesday, May 19, when they spoke to the director and actress behind the new Channel 5 factual drama Under Suspicion: Kate McCann.
Actress Laura Bayston portrays Madeleine's mother in the production, which sheds light on the infamous case. Madeleine disappeared from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Algarve, in May 2007. Kate and her husband Gerry McCann were cleared of any wrongdoing in 2008, but they found themselves wrongly accused of a cover-up. Kate was caught between co-operation and self-preservation as detectives subjected her to hours of questioning.
Chatting to director Paula Wittig, mother-of-three Susanna admitted the case had a deep impact on her as a parent of young boys at the time. Asking Paula about her intentions for the drama, Susanna said: 'This is such a high-profile case, I think it's one we all remember about how it affected you personally when you found out. I remember I didn't sleep for two weeks after Madeleine McCann went missing because one of my children was exactly the same age as Madeleine. I mean it was just devastating. So what do you want to convey through this drama?'
Paula replied: 'We weren't intending to retell the whole story or reinterrogate the whole case. We were very much focused on this particular point in time and when I read the source material and when I looked through everything I felt that it had been hugely misrepresented and misunderstood and I saw an opportunity to really tell the truth about what happened also to look at it through a very human emotional lens.'
The factual drama begins three months into the search for Madeleine. Portuguese police have no substantial leads, no real evidence, and no arrests have been made. As international attention intensifies, they summon Kate for a meeting. Unlike previous friendly interactions, this meeting takes an accusatory tone from the start. When Kate asks why she is being treated this way, she is told they do not believe her. The drama draws on official statements and recorded testimony, depicting Kate's interrogation as Portuguese investigators face mounting pressure to deliver answers.
Public support has turned to scrutiny as the world's media report on forensic evidence, leaked by the police, apparently implicating the McCanns. Kate finds herself treated as an official witness. After eleven hours of questioning, she is told that the next day she will be named 'arguida' — a formal suspect. The police then pressure her for a confession, warning that without one she could be charged with her daughter's murder. This revelation not only threatens Kate's freedom but also diminishes all hope of finding Madeleine. If detectives believe Kate is guilty, she fears they will stop looking for the real culprit.
In her final interrogation, Kate defies all accusations by answering 'no comment' on her lawyer's advice. The drama follows her as she leaves the police station, reminding viewers that the story began with a mother searching for her child.
Good Morning Britain airs on ITV1 weekdays at 6am and on ITVX. Under Suspicion: Kate McCann will air on Channel 5 on Wednesday, May 20 at 9pm.
