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Mother of fake Madeleine McCann 'mortified' over ‘fresh grief’ for Gerry and Kate
8 April 2023, 19:35
The mother of the Polish woman who believed she was Madeleine McCann is mortified by her daughter’s actions.
Julia Wendell, 21, who is Polish, made headlines when she claimed to be Maddie, who vanished on holiday in Portugal in 2007.
Julia believed she was the missing child, but underwent DNA tests that proved she is “absolutely 100 per cent from Poland.”
Julia’s mother “just wants her to get the help she needs,” friends have said.
“It was clear from the beginning that Julia was not Madeleine and Dorota is furious that this so-called doctor exploited the illness of a very young woman,” said a family friend.
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“Julia just needs to be home with her family so that she can get the treatment that she needs and which will make the family happy.
“Dorota is mortified that all this publicity has caused fresh grief for the McCann family.”
Julia has reportedly made claim to being other missing children - a German schoolgirl and a missing American toddler.
She contacted a charity to claim she was Acacia Bishop, who went missing in Utah in 2003. Her claims were dismissed.
A spokesman for Polish charity Zaginieni przed Laty said: “Julia has messaged us twice to say she is a missing person, once to say she was German and once to say she was American.
“Neither were correct and we have been helping Julia’s family as best we can because it’s quite clear she is not very well and is constantly claiming to be people she isn’t.
“Her family just want the best for her and for this to be resolved with her returning to therapy. For Julia’s family she is a much loved daughter, sister, niece, cousin and granddaughter.”