The photo shows her when she was three after a raid on the dressing-up box – she has a pink bow in her hair and a gold bead necklace and is wearing blue eyeshadow.

It was taken weeks before the fateful family holiday to the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz when Madeleine vanished. She had been left sleeping with her younger twin siblings, Sean and Amelie, on May 3, 2007.

Last week her parents returned to Portugal to put pressure on the police to renew their investigation, which was dropped in July 2008, and released the photo and a new video in the hope of triggering new leads in the search for their daughter, who would now be six.

Having fun: The new photo showing Madeleine in blue eyeshadow, beads and

The couple, both 42-year-old doctors from Rothley, Leicestershire, said their three-man team of private detectives hunting for Madeleine had discovered leads in police case files which had previously been dismissed.

In an interview with a Portuguese newspaper, Mr McCann said: ‘There are leads, clues which weren’t investigated. That information has been sent to the authorities.

‘We know that one of the leads was followed up and eliminated, and another was considered irrelevant. We don’t agree. I’m not saying we have somebody who saw Madeleine. But clues lead to other clues and we have to convince the police to investigate them.’

The couple, who will spend tomorrow with friends, would not give more details of the leads they want followed up, saying that could hinder the investigation.

Mr McCann added: ‘We are going to call for the case to be reopened. Can it be done? It can. Will it be done? I don’t know.’ 

Kate and Gerry McCann pictured in Leicester ahead of the third anniversary of their daughter's disappearance while on holiday in Portugal

A short film released by the couple yesterday shows some of their efforts to find their missing child over the past three years, from handing out posters in Portugal to chasing up leads from their home.

The film closes with the message: ‘Thank you for not giving up on Madeleine. Together we can bring her home.’

Today the McCanns will join worshippers at their local Catholic church, despite Mr McCann admitting that over the months his belief in God has faltered. The couple have also told how Sean and Amelie had been talking about Madeleine.

Mr McCann said: ‘Sean talks all the time about finding Maddie and what he will do to the person who stole her.

‘They know they went to sleep and when they woke up she had disappeared. But they still don’t understand that somebody took her.

‘When they become aware of this I think they will want to know where we were. And we will have to explain to them that we were having dinner in the
 restaurant next door.

The couple said their three-man team of private detectives hunting for Madeleine had discovered leads in police case files which had previously been dismissed