McCanns to appear on Oprah show

Kate and Gerry McCann are to appear on Oprah as they widen their search for their missing daughter Madeleine to America. The McCanns will fly to Chicago next week to record the interview with Oprah Winfrey, marking the second anniversary of her disappearance from the Praia da Luz resort in Portugal at the age of three. The one-hour special will feature hi-tech 'age progression' pictures to show how Madeleine might look now, aged five.
 
Last January the McCanns were reported to be the subject of a tussle for interview rights between CBS's Winfrey and ABC's Barbara Walters. At the time the McCanns were still considered arguidos - formal suspects - by Portuguese police and were unable to risk their legal position.

Now, nine months after police on the Algarve officially gave up the search for their daughter, the couple have plumped for Oprah, which commands a US audience of at least seven million per show, as well as being seen by millions more worldwide. They see it as "a significant step in the hunt for Madeleine", according to the McCanns' spokesman, Clarence Mitchell. "They hope these pictures will lead to the crucial sighting that will bring their daughter home."

News of the interview comes a month after Gerry McCann appeared before a Commons Select Committee examining press standards. He complained that insinuations in the press that he and his wife were somehow involved in Madeleine's disappearance had been "incredibly, unbelievably upsetting".

It is understood the McCanns will not be paid a fee for their appearance on Oprah - a spokeswoman for Winfrey's production company Harpo said the show "does not pay for news interviews". It is not clear whether a donation might be made to the Find Madeleine Fund, out of which the costs of private detectives, posters and other expenses have been met. In a recent interview in Portugal, Gerry McCann said the fund was likely to run dry before the end of 2009. ·