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Kate McCann has revealed that she struggled to control Madeleine McCann after the birth of her and Gerry's twins, it was revealed today.

Missing Madeleine would run around 'screaming...shouting for my attention', the mother-of-three said.

In an interview given to a Portuguese magazine before she was named as a suspect in the case of the four-year-old's disappearance, Kate also said the first six months of Madeleine's life were "very difficult" and that the girl had suffered from colic.

Gerry and Kate McCann in sombre mood today

The revelations come as police said they were trawling through Kate's medical records amid suspicions in Portugal that she may have had a history of depression.

The detailed analysis of her medical notes could provide them with significant evidence against the GP, who is a suspect in the case of Madeleine's disappearance.

Speaking about Madeleine's upbringing, Kate, a 39-year-old GP, told Portugal's Flash! magazine: "She cried practically for 18 hours a day. I had to permanently carry her around."

Kate McCann with twins Sean and Amelie

This period explained "the strong bond between mother and daughter", she said.

Although the arrival of the twins Sean and Amelie shook up Madeleine's life, she accepted them very well, said Kate.

"She managed to deal perfectly with this new reality, although she herself at the time was still a baby.

"The worst thing is that she started to demand lots of attention, especially when I was breast-feeding them.

Madeleine McCann: Would run around screaming and demanding attention after her twin brother and sister were born

"She would run up and down screaming in the background, shouting for my attention."

Mrs McCann also insisted that she and her husband were "truly responsible parents" and had committed no crime.

Speaking of the night Madeleine disappeared, she said: "I was sure immediately that she didn't walk out of that room. I never doubted that she had been taken by someone.

"I went through a phase of guilt for not knowing what happened to her. I blamed myself for thinking that the place was safe.

"But the certainty that we are truly responsible parents has helped me carry on.

"I know that what happened is not due to the fact of us leaving the children asleep. I know it happened under other circumstances."

Asked about whether she and her husband were responsible for their daughter's disappearance, she said: "It cannot be considered a crime. Someone committed one, but not us."

Portuguese newspapers continued to report today that Mrs McCann will be re-interviewed in the UK this week by British police on behalf of the Algarve authorities.

But a spokeswoman for the McCanns said the couple had to date received no request for new interrogation.

The judge in the case, Pedro Daniel dos Anjos Frias, rejected prosecutors' request to have the McCanns brought back to Portugal for further questioning, the Correio da Manha said.

He insisted that the fresh interviews should be carried out by British police in the UK, according to the paper.

The re-interviewing will only take place when further DNA testing in Birmingham is completed, either tomorrow or Wednesday.

A letter of appeal will be sent to Britain, setting out all the questions Portuguese detectives want to ask the couple, along with the evidence supporting their hypothesis, the Correio da Manha reported.

A source told the paper there was only a "very low" probability that Portuguese officers would be allowed to sit in on the interviews.

A McCann family spokeswoman said today: "We have been in touch with the lawyers to try and get a steer on what is in the Portuguese papers.

"They assure us we have had no request to date for any further questioning, either from the Portuguese police or in the UK."

She could not say whether the McCanns' legal team was expecting the couple to be re-interviewed.

Since Kate and Gerry McCann were named as official suspects last week, there have been suggestions in Portugal that Madeleine was given drugs on the night of her disappearance.

The accusations have been strenuously denied by the couple but have not been ruled out by police. Although the order to seize medical files came from the Portuguese authorities, the background searches are being carried out by Leicestershire police.

A copy of Mrs McCann's diary has also been seized by police, who are now waiting for permission from the judge to seize and dismantle the McCanns' hire car so they can search for "traces of skin".

It has been reported that DNA evidence with a match to Madeleine was found in the Renault Scenic 25 days after their daughter vanished.

Yesterday it emerged the McCanns are trying to knock down potential evidence retrieved after two British sniffer dogs, capable of detecting blood and human remains, were used in the investigation in August.

One of the dogs picked up a "scent of deathî on items ranging from Mrs McCann's clothes to Madeleine's favourite soft toy Cuddle Cat.

Leaked reports from the investigation have suggested that Madeleine's parents could have accidentally killed her and then disposed of her body using the car. Although they do not know the full details of the Portuguese prosecutors' case against them, the McCanns are concerned that it may rest on the dog's reaction.

The couple's legal team has now consulted the lawyers of an American man accused of murdering his estranged wife in a case where "cadaver dog" evidence was central. They want to highlight the judge's dismissal of such evidence in the high-profile Eugene Zapata murder trial in Madison, Wisconsin.

Mr Zapata's estranged wife, flight instructor Jeanette Zapata, was 37 when she vanished in October 1976 after seeing her three children off to school.

Her body has never been found. Detectives suspected Mr Zapata of involvement in her disappearance but did not charge him because of a lack of evidence.

Police decided to conduct new searches using cadaver dogs and Mr Zapata, 68, was charged with firstdegree murder last year after the dogs indicated that they had scented human remains in an underfloor crawl space at the former family home and other properties linked to him.

But the judge ruled that the dogs' ability to detect remains was too unreliable, noting that no remains had actually been found.

I agree it's so cruel, she's going through the worst sort of nightmare as it is without being under suspicion herself.

- Patricia Townson, Romsey, England, 18/9/2007 10:41

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I feel so sorry for the McCann family, they have had their lovely daughter taken from them and everything they now do and have done is being scrutinised. I think anyone with colic would be screaming for 18 hours a day.

- Steve, Worcester, England, 17/9/2007 23:47

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Why can't everyone stop going on about this matter and leave it until the official investigations are completed. Surely I'm not the only one fed up with all the speculations?

- Agenoria, Stourbridge, West Midlands, 17/9/2007 22:48

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Kate has described in a diary the normal day for a mother of three young children. Difficult, stressful, tiring but coping.

- Jean, Bucks, 17/9/2007 21:25

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My mum has often told me how I (the eldest) used to seek her attention most when she was breastfeeding my sister. In the end, mum had my favourite toys, potty, bottle of milk and anything else I could possibly ask for lined up, ready to give me. I would have been 2 or 3 years old at the time. No doubt my mum wasn't the first to experience the demands of an older child who suddenly felt neglected and Kate McCann won't be the last.

- Jill, London, 17/9/2007 21:17

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Nothing unusual there, I had to carry all 3 of mine when they were tiny for months!

- Ali, Basingstoke, Hants, 17/9/2007 21:16

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Normal.

- David, East Kilbride, 17/9/2007 17:06

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So what! Isn't this the norm amongst most parents with very young children! Children can be very difficult, and I expect like a lot of children her age, little Madeline was not an angel. Does not make you a killer, and does not prove a thing!

- Isabel, Buckinghamshire, 17/9/2007 16:49

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This poor woman has lost her child and must be distraught beyond comprehension. To then have her mental health and her abilities as a mother scrutinised so publicly and so viciously brings nothing but shame on all those who participate in this cruellest of all blood sports.

- Jo, Kent, 17/9/2007 16:48

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I was according to my mother - exactly the kind of baby that Kate describes. My mother told me quite cheerfully (she could have flung me out of the window as she never had sleep for 6 months).
However, I came through settled eventually and never for a second have doubted her great love for me and all of her children. I am in my sixties and my Mum died some years ago. I am struck by how close she gave the description to that given by Kate. It is NORMAL to feel distressed and depressed if a baby is not settling down! I agree with the comment if Mum and baby survive that 6 months there is never going to be a danger of hurt later!

- Gill, Wales, 17/9/2007 16:44

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We have boy/girl twins both blond haired/blue eyed who are only 4 days older than Madeleine. We also have an elder boy who is almost precisely the same difference in age to the twins that Madeleine was to her siblings. Consequently I feel well qualified to state categorically that what Kate McCann has stated is a perfectly accurate representation of what life with 3 children under 3 years of age is like - exhausting and trying. But that doesn't make you a candidate for murder. This whole scenario becomes more ridiculous by the day.

- Nick, Milton Keynes, UK, 17/9/2007 16:43

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Both my babies cried all and day and all night, but Kate, like me and millions of others get through it with all the love in the world for your little one. If Kate had anything to hide she would have said Maddy was the easiest child to look after, she is being honest as she has nothing to hide.

- Beth, UK, 17/9/2007 16:35

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Just hope this can be resolved very soon, as the twins will be being tramautised with all this which will tell in later life.

And in my opinion I can't see these parent's doing anything wrong, and have deepest sympathy.

- John Birtwistle, Bury, 17/9/2007 16:09

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Everything she is quoted as saying is perfectly normal - is she to be judged for daring to state that parenting is anything but total permanent bliss?!

- Ht46, Nottingham, UK, 17/9/2007 16:08

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All seems quite normal to me, if they think a hyperactive child would drive you to murder they should try looking after one. They would soon realise if they got past the first 6 months unharmed they were never going to be harmed. That's called unconditional love, what most mothers have in abundance. Kate certainly comes across as a loving mother.

- Cath, UK, 17/9/2007 15:31

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Kate McCann has said nothing I or any other normal good mother has said about bringing up her children. Any mother who says different is lying. I love my daughters very much but admit they were difficult at times.

- Linda Murty, Scotland, 17/9/2007 15:14

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Kate McCann would be a lot more suspicious to me if she were telling us that the kids never got on her nerves and that life with baby twins and a toddler was a bowl of cherries. That she has admitted that Madeleine was a handful and that she was stressed as the mother of three little ones shows an honesty and maturity that should be factored into all of this second-guessing.

- Toni Hargis, Expat, Chicago, USA, 17/9/2007 14:50

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Why is it always the mother who gets the blame?

- Terry Daly, Dublin Ireland, 17/9/2007 14:45

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My eldest daughter cried (so it seemed) non-stop for about 6 months. She had terrible colic and was a very miserable baby. Did I feel depressed? Of course. Did I feel a failure? Yes, I did. Did I love my daughter? Without a doubt. Would I have wanted to harm her? Never in a million years.

- Debs, London, 17/9/2007 14:37

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With all this going on I hope the police are still looking for Madeleine.

- Jane, Derbyshire, 17/9/2007 14:30

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With her being a GP I would have thought she would have known about hyperactive children, don't mothers usually go the GP for advice?

- Alan, Montrose, Scotland, 17/9/2007 14:26

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This just sounds like the experiences of many normal mothers. Don't all children go through a "difficult" stages? And why are they looking for a "history of depression"? Anyone can suffer from depression, and 1 in 4 people is affected by mental illness at some point - it doesn't make them criminals. Plenty of criminals have no history of mental illness.

- Anonymous, UK, 17/9/2007 14:19

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If the Portuguese police imagine for one minute that anything of this sort they may or may not find in her medical records will be useful in convicting her of anything then they are on another planet. This is a witch hunt, pure and simple. She's just a normal mum, older than the average to have three small children close together. Difficult? Yes. Grounds for suspecting her of murder? Absolutely not! Is this all they can come up with?

Their sniffer dog theories seem to have been blown out of the water, their investigators are suspect, the DNA "proof" seems to be nothing of the kind. Their investigation seems to have been pathetically inept. Why don't they just get on with looking for Madeleine?

- Anne Cannon, Birmingham, 17/9/2007 14:15

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I can't remember the first six months of my son's life although i'm sure I was there! All new mums suffer from some sort of depression because its such a life changing experience to have a baby and suprisingly young children do want to have mum all to themselves when a new baby (or two) arrives and make sure she knows they're still there. So I don't know what this 'new' evidence shows about Kate McCann other than she went through the same as the rest of us.

- Diane, Worcester UK, 17/9/2007 13:56

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Kate McCann was just reflecting upon the daily reality of bringing up small children. Her comments should be seen as further evidence of her innocence, since someone harbouring a guilty secret would hardly have been so honest.

- Patricia Martin, Sevenoaks Kent, 17/9/2007 13:54

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Kate seems a very normal and very good mum. Everything she has described in her diary is to be expected in a young family. She certainly had her hands full, and it seems to me that she coped quite well under the circumstances.

- Sara, Leicester, 17/9/2007 13:50

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All perfectly normal behaviour with 3 very young children, hardly proof of guilt on anything is it?

- Denise, Rugeley, England, 17/9/2007 13:40

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I have 3 under 5's who are of course demanding and the older two played up to me breastfeeding. But, as I am sure Kate McCann found it is exhausting especially coupled with sleep interrupted nights (cliche of most used form of torture is so true). At least she is being open and truthful about it - if more people were open about how they feel and how tired they get then it would somehow be easier.

- Louise, London, 17/9/2007 13:36

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I really think all this information on Kate McCann is completly irrelevant.
We really need closure on this tragic story and let the Police continue their investigation on locating Madeleine.

- Sj, Spain, 17/9/2007 13:31

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I found it challenging in the beginning with one baby! I can't imagine how she managed with a toddler and two babies!
Not that I am saying Kate had post-natal depression, but on that subject, society is still very judgemental about women with post-natal depression, and don't understand it. Sometimes you may really love your baby, yet feel a sense of despair, and it is only made worse when women are villified for feeling that way, as they stop talking and internalise it, which leads to other problems.
If society was more supportive of mothers and families, people would struggle a lot less and good on for Kate IF she had depression, and still managed to raise 3 lovely children.

- Katrina, London, 17/9/2007 13:13

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Kate has a history of depression, well of course! Most mums do when they have to bear the brunt of parenting. And from my own experience I can add that, the more you wanted the child, the more you come with a bump down to earth afterwards. Rosy pictures of children do not always compare with the grim reality of being on call 24/7 and the feeling of being inadequate whatever you do. I sympathise.

- Cora, Maidenhead, 17/9/2007 13:12

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Kate, this is normal in families with young children. There is nothing suspicious or abnormal about it.

- Roger Kingston, YORK, 17/9/2007 13:05

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Oh my God, whatever next...? Please join the club where siblings are fighting to get the attention which they use to before having younger siblings.

There is absolutely nothing suspecious or strange about this - just totally normal!

- Lena, DK, 17/9/2007 12:58

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Why should we be surprised? Little children are naturally a handful at times. She may be missing but nobody ever pretended she was automatically an angel!

- Andy, Birmingham, UK, 17/9/2007 12:57

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For anyone not prepared for the challenges of motherhood, my advice is don't bother, get back to the wine bar and enjoy yourself. Good parenting is the challenge of a lifetime, a selfless love that transcends all selfish concern.

- Karen Dahl, United Kingdom, 17/9/2007 12:42

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So yet more normal family life and parenting events have been 'revealed' about the McCanns. It is utterly ridiculous how the police and media are, seemingly, trying to dig up any possible thing they can to cast the McCanns in a sinister light. Yet all they can turn up are normal family/life events and reactions to those events/situations. It is high time the focus returned to finding Madeleine and returning her to her loving family. God forbid if she has been harmed whilst the police and media have turned the focus away from finding her. The media and public could play a very positive role in putting pressure on the police to refocus on finding Madeleine whether she is dead, but very much hopefully alive.

- Dave, Birmingham, UK, 17/9/2007 12:27