They have begun planning their daughter's funeral, which they have said will be the worst day of their lives, following the release of her body after a second post mortem.

They couple pointed out that some parents ' including those of Madeleine McCann ' never get the chance to bury their child, and said they felt almost 'lucky' to be in a position to do so.

IT consultant David Yeates said, ' We keep reminding ourselves that we are not unique and this helps in some way, but we are very said for others who have been through it as well.

'I cannot imagine what it must be like not to be able to bury their children or to have to bury some bones which have only been discovered years later.

'Whatever we have experienced, they probably had it a lot worse.'
He added: 'There is a degree of finality to our situation. The perpetual not knowing would be worse.

'We do not know if we will ever have closure. We will always have Jo in our minds as long as we live, What happened has changed our lives forever.'

Madeleine McCann, who went missing from a Portugal apartment in 2007 during a family holiday

'That must make it impossible, or at least very difficult, to find any type of closure.'

Miss Yeates's corpse was released only after lawyers for Vincent Tabak, the man charged with her murder, organised a separate post-mortem examination.

Michael Fitton QC, representing Tabak, said a doctor conducted the examination for the defence last Wednesday.

Following the release of her body, Avon and Somerset Police have released a new set of pictures of Jo.

It is the latest in a series of images to be released and most show her blissfully snuggled up to her boyfriend Greg Reardon, a fellow architect at Bristol firm BDP, who had been visiting family in Sheffield on December 17 when she disappeared.

Mr Yeates told the Sun newspaper,' We are planning an ordinary funeral - we ae not trying to glamorise what happened. We cannot celebrate her life it is difficult to associate celebration with what has happened.'

The family will face an eight month wait before Tabak will stand trial.

Joanna had been drinking with colleagues at the Ram pub and left at around 8pm, before visiting Waitrose and Bargain Booze - where she picked up two 600ml bottles of cider.

Jo then shopped in Tesco Express, where she purchased the pesto, basil and mozarella pizza and was last seen on CCTV camera at 8.28pm on December 17.

Greg returned home at 8pm on December 19 and reported her missing to police at around 11.30pm that night, after realising no-one had spoken to her since Friday.

Happy daughter: More photos of Joanna Yeates, here with her boyfriend Greg Reardon, have been released as her family prepare for her funeral

Empathy: Jo's parents say they are 'lucky' to be able to give her a funeral

Her frozen body was discovered on Longwood Lane, Failand, on Christmas morning by dog walkers. She had been strangled. 

The new photographs of Jo were published on the BBC Crimewatch website, after her last movements were filmed to form part of an appeal for information about her disappearance and death.

Catch: Fun-loving Jo plays a game at a music festival

By the seaside: Joanna Yeates and Greg Reardon share a cuddle on the beach

Big brother: Jo with her older sibling Chris at a family gathering

The appeal, due to be shown on January 26, was cancelled after officers arrested Jo's neighbour, analyst Vincent Tabak, 32.

He was charged with her murder last week and appeared by video link for a preliminary hearing at Bristol Crown Court this morning.

Carefree: Jo and a friend pose for a snap at a music festival

Close: Jo and Greg are all smiles as they enjoy a drink in the sun

Accused: Next door neighbour Vincent Tabak has been charged with Jo's murder

Tabak, 32, appeared on screens in court, sitting behind a table with his hands together to listen to the proceedings.

Wearing glasses, a red jumper and dark trousers, the Dutch engineer spoke only to confirm his name and that he could hear the proceedings clearly.

Mr Justice Treacy, prosecutor Nigel Lickley QC, and Mr Fitton agreed the timetable for the trial.

At the conclusion of today's proceedings, the judge told Tabak:

'Your next appearance in court will be on May 4 by which time the case papers will have been served and you will see in detail what the allegations are against you.

'There will be a hearing to make the final arrangements for a trial which we expect to take place in October.'

No bail application was made and Tabak was remanded into custody.

A post mortem examination was carried out last week on behalf of Tabak by a pathologist, Bristol Crown Court was told.

Michael Fitton QC, representing Tabak, told the preliminary hearing that Dr Nat Carey conducted the examination last Wednesday.

Guard: A police officer stands at the entrance to the flat where Miss Yeates lived. A neighbour has appeared in court accused of her murder

Tributes: David and Theresa Yeates lay flowers at the spot where their daughter's body was found

'With his consent we have consented to the release of the body of the deceased,' Mr Fitton told the court.

Tabak, a trilingual engineer, is an expert in the flow of people through buildings, including sports venues.

He lived next door to Miss Yeates with his girlfriend, Tanja Morson, an analyst for Dyson, in Malmesbury, Wiltshire.

His arrest was the second to be made by detectives since the university graduate's body was found.

Miss Yeates's landlord, Chris Jefferies, 66, was arrested on December 30 and questioned for three days on suspicion of murder before being released on bail.