By Kelly-Ann Kiernan,Martin Fricker

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When people claim to be your daughter it inevitably pulls your heartstrings’

Gerry McCann spoke emotionally about Wandelt’s claims to be his missing daughter.

“We know she is not our daughter,” he said. “It has many effects. We don’t know what happened to Madeleine. There is no evidence she is dead. We hope, and we know it is only a glimmer, that Madeleine is alive. So when people claim to be your daughter it inevitably pulls your heartstrings.”

He added her claims also had a “wider effect”, which he described as “damaging the search” for Madeleine.

Asked how the alleged stalking affected their lives, Gerry said the family now have CCTV outside their home.

“It impacted us virtually every day. You are driving in and you are worried,” he said. “Every time you drive home you wonder if someone is going to be there. You are nervous for the ten seconds

“There was no violence threatened. We were told Julia has mental health issues. You do wonder what else can happen? You do have at the back of your head that this could result in physical violence. virtually everyone in the world knows how to find us.”