Marilyn Monroe at 80
Embarrassing Teenage Bodies
Channel 4’s Embarrassing Teenage Bodies this week … We show how a sunbed obsessed teenager will look at her mother’s age. Did you know that if you use a sunbed once a week, you are 50% more susceptible to skin cancer?
We also worked with Cancer Research UK to show how singer Sandi Thom will look as she ages over using sunbeds.
How to decide whether cosmetic surgery is for you?
It can be tough weighing up the pros and cons of surgery – especially when it can be painful and expensive but sometimes there’s something we hate about the way we look and we need to look into how it can be fixed. Verity from Hampshire says “Everytime I see a photograph of myself, I see my nose first – it just doesn’t fit with the rest of my face!” But where does she go for that initial advice?
BAAPS The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery offers this advice:
1. Make your own decisions: The real expert on your appearance and any concerns you may have is YOU. The only assistance you should need is to decide what, if any, surgery you might need, and you should ensure you get unbiased information regarding what might be technically possible and any associated risks and benefits. Do not let anyone talk you into doing anything for which you had little concern before the consultation.
2. Be Informed: Anyone considering any cosmetic procedure should ensure they are fully informed and accept the limitations and risks of any procedure. Remember, no surgeon or procedure is 100% risk free.
3. Be Comfortable: Make sure you feel comfortable with the organisation, surgeon and clinic you have chosen.
4. Know your surgeon: Many practitioners purport to be experts, but many are not even surgeons. Practitioners may boast impressive sounding qualifications, but these can have little meaning. Organisations associated with and preferably based in the Royal College of Surgeons will demonstrate acceptable standards of practice, i.e., those which you can reasonably expect of surgeons and doctors in general. Hospitals which have strong associations with NHS consultants and practice will also adhere to these standards and so offer some level of reassurance. The BAAPS can help you find a properly credentialed surgeon in your area.
To really help your decision making process, get some imaging done to show you before and after – this can sometimes help you decide one way or the other. It is also important to have a point of reference to show your surgeon. For cosmetic surgery imaging go to www. changemyface.com and for more information and tips go to:
US consumers choose non surgical procedures in economic gloom
It stands to reason that the market in plastic surgery will suffer in the economic gloom but people still need that feel good factor so according to this article published in Aesthetic Medicine consumers are now choosing non surgical procedures instead of the more expensive surgical options:
US patients choose non-surgical options during recession
The impending recession is causing more US consumers to delay plastic surgery and consider non-surgical options, according to the latest consumer survey carried out by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
The association polled 100 women who were considering plastic surgery in March and then again in October and found 59% said that recent changes in the economy have had an impact on their plans for plastic surgery, compared with 50% in March. Also, 48%, of women surveyed during October said that the economic slowdown has made them less likely to book a consultation with a cosmetic surgeon, a marked increase of 18% since March, when 30% felt that way.
Possibly the most significant result for the aesthetic medicine industry, however, is that 27% said they were considering less expensive options, compared with 20% six months ago.
Richard D’Amico, M.D., ASPS president, commented, “It appears more consumers are choosing the less invasive cosmetic procedures, both to give them a boost or to buy time if they need to postpone a more costly invasive surgical procedure because of the economic
Downturn.”
The Consulting Room reports that certain procedures are becoming more popular during the economic gloom.
Despite a slowing economy the QuickLift™, a minimally-invasive lower face-lifting procedure, gains popularity.Pittsburgh, PA (PRWEB) October 16, 2008 — While consumer confidence and spending have dropped for many retailers and service oriented businesses, The Skin Center Medical Spa, with locations in Pittsburgh and Columbus, Ohio, reports an increased demand for the QuickLift™.The QuickLift™, a minimally-invasive lower face lift procedure that tightens sagging skin along the jaw line and under the chin, is a more affordable and natural face lift option for people considering a full face lift. “We have found that when times are slow economically, people tend to want to invest in themselves,” said Dominic A. Brandy, MD, developer of the QuickLift™ and founding medical director of The Skin Center Medical Spa. “It gives them a boost of confidence and self-esteem that translates to more productivity and success at work and in their personal lives.”
Posted in cosmetic surgery | Tags: age progression, changemyface, consulting room, cosmetic surgery, face lift, feelgood factor, plastic surgery
changemyface changes celebrity faces
It’s always interesting to see those before and after photos so have a peak at these images to see how these Hollywood stars will look with some virtual cosmetic surgery…
Cameron Diaz with nose reshaped.
Reece Witherspoon with chin made smaller.
Sarah Jessica Parker with nose reshaped.
www.changemyface.com
Posted in cosmetic surgery | Tags: age progression, celebrity, changemyface, chin reduction, cosmetic surgery, nose job, plastic surgery
Celebrities – the way we were
How did they look before? We found some of celebrity before and after pics for you….
Britney Spears’ nose
Victoria Beckham’s Breast enlargement
Ashlee Simpson – see the nose?
You can see more at www.celebrityplastics.com
Change 4 Life – Government campaigns against obesity
Changemyface used its specialised age progression imaging skills to show how 10 children will look in 30 years time according to statistical data on obesity. The problem of obesity is growing at such an alarming rate the National Health system could be bankrupted as a result by 2030.
This is Holly – one of 10 children age progressed 30 years – statistically 6 out of 10 will be overweight, 3 will be clinically obese and only 1 will be a healthy normal size.
Posted in Age progressions, News, TV & Press, age progression | Tags: age progression, Change4Life, changemyface, changemyshape, children and health, getting older, health, obesity
Twin study confirms ageing impact of environment
We’re always interested in the ageing process and how much of it is determined by genes and how much is determined by environmental factors. This study looking at identical twins confirms that external factors significantly contribute to the ageing process. We found this article in Aesthetic Medicine Magazine:
A new study involving identical twins has suggested that despite genetic make-up, certain environmental factors, such as the use of antidepressants, can add years to a person’s perceived age.
Results published on the web version of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), show that factors such as divorce or the use of antidepressants can be significantly ageing.
Dr Bahaman Guyuron, ASPS member surgeon and study author, professor and chairman, department of plastic surgery, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, said, “In this study, we looked at identical twins because they are genetically programmed to age exactly the same, and in doing so we essentially discovered that, when it comes to your face, it is possible to cheat your biological clock.”
During the study, Guyuron and colleagues obtained comprehensive questionnaires and digital images from 186 pairs of identical twins. The images were reviewed by an independent panel, who then recorded the perceived age difference between the siblings.
The results revealed that twins who had been divorced appeared nearly two years older than their siblings who were married, single or even widowed.
Antidepressant use was associated with a significantly older appearance and weight too was found to play a major factor. In those sets of twins who were less than 40 years old, the heavier twin was perceived as being older, while in those groups over 40 years old, the heavier twin appeared younger.
“The presence of stress could be one of the common denominators in those twins who appeared older,” commented Guyuron. Additionally, researchers thought that continued relaxation of the facial muscles owing to antidepressant use, could account for sagging.
“This research is important for two reasons,” said Guyuron. “First, we have discovered a number of new factors that contribute to aging and second, our findings put science behind the idea that volume replacement rejuvenates the face.”
Posted in Age progressions, News, age progression | Tags: aesthetic magazine, age progression, ageing, ageing process, changemyface, wrinkles
What really makes us age?
I am fast approaching 40 and wondering – what makes us age, why does it happen and can we slow the ageing process down? It seems every morning, I wake up to a new wrinkle and a few more grey hairs and my thoughts turn to getting old and dying…..Auriole Prince found this article which explains what happens in our bodies to make us age and what we can do to slow the process down…
Lucy was age progressed by changemyface to reflect her unhealthy lifestyle.
Why we age
Ageing is the result of a build-up of damage in our bodies’ cells
Ageing is the result of a build-up of damage in our bodies’ cells. It takes a long time for the damage to get to a level where it may harm us, but eventually we can no longer overlook it.
The protein fibres keeping our skin and artery walls elastic go through changes that lead to loss of that vital flexibility. The DNA strands inside our cells get damaged, too. Ultimately, the cells’ energy production systems fail.
An important type of damage is oxidisation, the result of attacks by free radicals. Oxidisation rusts metal, makes fat go rancid and causes browning of peeled fruits and vegetables. It also helps to make us age.
Our bodies have evolved powerful antioxidant enzymes to guard cells against free radicals, but these defences aren’t 100 per cent.
Role of genes
Longevity tends to run in families. The genes influencing the ageing process seem to be those that influence how well the body maintains and repairs its cells.
The risk of age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s also appears also to have a genetic component.
Lifestyle factors
Ageing isn’t all down to our genes. We can control some aspects of the process.
The lifestyle choices we make are important. We can eat food that burdens our bodies with saturated fats, for example, or we can eat food that’s high in natural antioxidants to aid the body’s defences.
We can exercise so our natural systems for renewal and repair keep our muscles, lungs and blood circulatory system in good shape, and we can stretch our minds to reinforce the networks of connection between brain cells.
Uncertain future
We know ageing catches up with all of us in the end, but we don’t know exactly what lies in store.
Some people keep their mental faculties intact until they’re 100, while others can get dementia in their 50s. Some people retain their mobility, but others with conditions such as arthritis find it more difficult.
This article was last medically reviewed by Dr Rob Hicks in July 2007.
First published in March 2000. www.bbc.co.uk/health
Posted in Age progressions, TV & Press, age progression | Tags: age progression, ageing process, changemyface, getting older, health, lifestyle
atie Price: I love Botox and sunbeds…I know they’re dangerous but we’ve all got to die of something
Vice: Katie Price has Botox every six months
Katie Price, model, entrepreneur and author, 31, reveals her fitness and beauty regime and why you can’t beat the needle:
SKIN
Looking after my skin is not my strong point but the two things that do make my skin look better are sunbeds and Botox.
I used to use spray tan but it stinks so now I use sun beds. I know people say they’re dangerous and can give you skin cancer but I don’t smoke, I hardly drink and we’ve all got to die of something, so that’s just my choice.
I get my forehead and around my eyes Botoxed every six months and I love it. You can’t beat it.
It just freezes all the wrinkles and that’s what you want but I’d never have a full face lift, I’ve seen what they can do to people and I don’t want to go through that.
I do get the odd spot and I’ve got a few at the moment but that’s down to stress.
MAKE UP
I don’t wear any make-up if I’m not working but if I’m doing a shoot, going out or appearing on TV I’m like a drag queen.
I like lots and lots of products; in fact I like the whole of the Boots counter. I wear Dior Showgirl mascara, lipstick by Bourjois, Mac or Stila, and Mac eyeliner and eye shadow. I’m also a big fan of false lashes and I love Mac again.
I get facials every week – Alexandra House near my house are great – but I like to go to different places every week to hide from the paparazzi.
And however big a night I’ve had I always take my make-up off before I go to bed.
Whenever I’m in the car on the way home I’ve always got my pyjamas, my blanket and my make up remover and I always take it off on the way home.
Posted in News, cosmetic surgery | Tags: age progression, ageing, botox, change my face, change my shape, changemyface, cosmetic surgery, Jordan, Katie Price, sunbeds
Edith Bowman on cosmetic surgery and growing old gracefully
‘I’ll be happy to grow old gracefully – but I haven’t ruled out Botox’
Skin deep: Edith Bowman says she’s not bothered by wrinkles
TV presenter and Radio 1 DJ Edith Bowman, 35, reveals her top beauty and diet tips and why she’ll never say never to Botox.
DIET
My mum used to have a whole shelf in her bookcase dedicated to dieting books, so that put me off for life. I’ve never followed a specific diet but I try to eat as healthily as possible.
Since the birth of my son Rudy 16 months ago I’ve done a bit of home cooking for him so I’m eating more fresh vegetables than I used to, but I don’t think there’s any harm in eating the occasional pizza or kebab.
I’m more body conscious since I gave birth and I have a few more lumps and bumps, but I don’t freak out about it. I just eat more greens, cycle to work more and work hard at resolving it rather than looking for a quick fix. As long as I’m somewhere between nine and nine and half stone then I’m happy.
SKIN
My skin is so dry that it literally sucks the moisture out of the air, so recently I’ve been treating myself to some facials at Fortnum & Mason with Sarah Brown, who is wonderful. She does this treatment called Dermabrasion, which sort of hoovers the skin cells off, and I use lots of Sisley products and also Cowshed moisturisers for my dry hands.
Wrinkles don’t bother me and I’ll be happy to grow old gracefully. It’s hard for me to say I’ll never have Botox as I’m not at the stage in my life where I need it yet, but my general feeling about facial cosmetic surgery is that you lose your expression and you lose part of you. I think you lose part of your identity.
Posted in News, TV & Press, cosmetic surgery | Tags: botox, celebrity, change my face, changemyface, cosmetic surgery, Edith Bowman, plastic surgery
Leslie Ash and the ageing process
How Leslie may have looked without the trout pout….I think she would have aged very beautifully. This is Leslie as she is now and below, my age progression image showing how she may have looked without any cosmetic intervention….however, we need to take into account her illness and stress – all these contribute to the ageing process. This was commissioned by Closer magazine. You can see how you would look with enhanced lips at www.changemyface.com
Old Age is Sexy….
Emma Thompson insists she’ll grow old gracefully. The British actress believes people get sexier as they get older.
“Old is very sexy,” said Thompson, who will soon be seen onscreen as Nanny McPhee in the movie sequel Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang. “It must be awful for women who are in denial and insist on looking 20 years younger.
“How are we going to produce beautiful older women if we don’t allow ourselves to be older. I think the trick is to age honestly and gracefully. Trying to constantly look younger must be exhausting.”
Thompson — who is married to actor Greg Wise — recently revealed she was planning to take a break from Hollywood as a birthday present to herself. (She turned 50 in April.)
“I’m taking a year off. That’s my birthday present to myself,” she said. “I’m not going to act, write or anything like that. I’ll be a mum, teach drama at my daughter’s school, I’ll cook meals and have fun, go out with my friends, I’ll go to movies and not think about working. I’ll see what bubbles up after that.
“As an actor and writer, sometimes I think you have to stop creating and let your brain relax. I think it hones the appetite. I think that’s important.”
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: change my face, Emma Thompson, growing old, Old age
Unreal beauty….Miss Plastic Surgery 2009
And the winner is…..
Plastic surgery usually helps hold things up but, the Miss Plastic Hungary contest, it brought the favourite model low.
The hotly tipped Alexandra Horvath lost out on the crown after her fake breasts apparently caused her to topple off her high heels.
The enhanced 23-year-old had just passed the breast examination stage with flying colours when she tipped over and tore a ligament in her foot.
Posted in News, TV & Press, cosmetic surgery
Changemyface works on missing kids show
A new TV series investigating the issue of missing children featuring families of those has been shown on Sky Real Lives and is also repeated on Sky One. Changemyface helped with their investigations to produce age progressions of how the children would look now, some of them as adults.
Ben Needham who has been missing since July 24th 1991 on the Greek Island of Kos.
April Fabb who has been missing since 8th April 1969 in Norfolk
Lorraine Kelly meets the families and friends of those who have gone missing and uses dramatic reconstructions to retrace their last known steps. She also talks to the police, psychologists and charities who are trying to find out why and where these children have gone. The series looks beyond the shocking statistics, revealing the human stories behind some of these cases. Mixing interviews with filmed reconstructions viewers will find out more about the children themselves, meet the parents who are still searching for them and examine the circumstances behind their disappearance. The child may be a suspected teenage runaway,
a younger boy or girl feared abducted, or a minor who has just
disappeared without a trace.
In the UK it is estimated that there are over 100,000 instances of children going missing every year – one every five minutes. Some of those children missing have disappeared on more than one occasion and thankfully the majority are found within 48 hours. There are those that have been missing for months or years and their families are desparate to know what has happened to them. Children account for around two thirds of those reported missing.
The series looks at missing children of all ages and their stories. Many of the cases were high profile and the programmes look deeper into the headlines to highlight what happens when a child goes missing. The shows also features reconstructions of the events leading up to the disappearance and information from witnesses about what they saw.
The series is shown on Sky Real Lives (channel 278 or in HD on channel 243) on Wednesdays between 12th Augusust and 10th September 2009. It is then repeated the following Sunday at 11pm. The series is also being shown on Wednesdays on Sky 1 (channel 106) at 9pm
Further information can be found in the August edition of the Sky Magazine and by visiting the Sky Real Lives website.
If you have any information about a missing child, you can contact the Missing Persons Bureau via e-mail – missingpersonsbureau@npia.pnn.police.uk.
Anne Frank and how she may look today
An image has been created of Anne Frank to show how she would look on her 80th birthday. I feel the image is not entirely up to date – she looks like an elderly woman from the 1950’s. However, to be fair, the image is sympathetically constructed…
The ‘age progression’ image shows the diarist as she might have appeared today had she not died of typhus and starvation at the age of 15 in Bergen Belsen in March 1945, just a few weeks before the Nazi concentration camp was liberated by British troops.
Created for the Anne Frank Trust UK to mark her birthday on Friday – using the same techniques developed to artificially age missing people such as toddler Madeleine McCann – it is hoped the picture will help inspire Britain’s school children to think about the kind of lives they would like to lead, and to remember the loss of six million people in the Holocaust.
The Trust will launch a competition for children to write a letter to their 80-year-old selves, one of a number of projects being run across the world to mark the anniversary and challenge racist attitudes.
Anne’s half-sister Eva Schloss, a survivor of Auschwitz who played with her as a child in Amsterdam, saw the aged image for the first time on Thursday.
“I must say I was a bit shocked… I don’t really know why,” she said.
“It is a beautiful lady, very gentle, very kind-looking with this gentle smile.”
The aged image was produced by a Michigan firm called Phojoe which has worked with US police on dozens of missing persons cases.
The firm describes the technique as “part art, part science and a little intuition”, and bases its aged image on whatever photographs are available – which in Anne Franks’ case were of a carefree young girl.
Dr Schloss believes the loss of her mother and sister and Anne’s experiences in Auschwitz and then Bergen Belsen would have left their mark if she had lived, however.
“Personally I think she would have been more bitter and disappointed. I don’t see anything of this in the picture.”
Anne’s diary, which was first published in Dutch in 1947 and has since been translated into more than 60 different languages, details her time hiding from the Nazis with her Jewish family in Amsterdam.
changemyface – age progression, cosmetic surgery imaging and slimmer imaging
Posted in Age progressions, News, TV & Press, age progression | Tags: age progression, ageing, ageing process, Anne Frank, Auriole Prince, changemyface, getting older
More men opt for botox
change my face imaging shows before and ‘after’ botox
There has been an increase in professional men aged 25-30 having Botox, reports The Harley Medical Group.
The cosmetic surgery provider said that it had seen the growth across its 26 clinics, with men accounting for 20% of all Botox patients and that Botox is now the second most popular non-surgical treatment with men at The Harley Medical Group.
Dr Nick Milojevic, Botox doctor at The Harley Medical Group, said, “Young men in the City have been spending a lot of time frowning over the last year and we’re seeing the fallout. Men coming into the clinics are telling us that they want to stay looking wrinkle-free despite their demanding lifestyles. Many of my younger patients opt for “baby Botox”, a lighter variation of the treatment that uses extremely low doses of the toxin, giving a subtle and natural effect.”
In 2008, The Harley Medical Group saw an overall increase of 6% year-on-year in Botox treatments.
Posted in News, cosmetic surgery | Tags: botox, change my face, cosmetic surgery, men and surgery
Age Regression – celebrities and how they were
I found these childhood pictures of celebrites on Los Quatros Ojos – it’s amazing to see how we change over those early years…it makes a change from age progressing people into the future…..
John Lennon
Leonardo DiCaprio
Michael Jackson
Robert De Niro
Posted in Age progressions, age progression
New image revealed of missing Madeleine McCann
By Michael Seamark and Daily Mail Reporter
The hair is longer and the chubby toddler cheeks are gone. But that distinctive mark in her eye is still there – making this image unmistakeably of Madeleine McCann as she might look today, two years after she vanished.
Her parents Kate and Gerry revealed the picture to the world today in an emotional interview with U.S. chat show host Oprah Winfrey.
Two years on: Left, Madeleine McCann shortly before she disappeared. Right, a new computer-generated image issued by her parents Kate and Gerry shows what she may look like today, aged six
They believe that it is the most realistic image of how their daughter looks today.
The picture will be used on posters headed, ‘Don’t Give Up on Me’ in a fresh drive to find the missing toddler.
It was drawn up using photographs of Madeleine, computer assisted technology, and pictures of her parents around the same age. Gerry McCann’s features in particular can be seen in the image.
It was created by U.S. experts from Virginia’s National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children - which may account for the ‘Americanised’ hair band and frilly dress – but Madeleine’s parents are ‘happy’ with the result.
Two years on: Kate and Gerry McCann released this computer-generated image of what Madeleine may look like today
Age progression pictures are intended to give an idea of how a person may look several years after they disappeared.
It is not an exact science, explained Auriole Prince, a British forensic and age progression artist who has helped police in missing person inquiries and trained at the FBI academy, but ‘an educated guess.’
She said: ‘It is a cross between art and science. You are trying to create an impression of what you think that person will look like today.
‘It’s a little like piecing together a puzzle. You start with a photograph of the missing person, use reference photographs of their parents and siblings and try to create an accurate, new image.’
Every face is obviously different, said Ms Prince, ‘but everyone has a unique likeness, that triangle of features, the eyes, the nose and the mouth. How the features sit in relation to one another.
‘People get older but they don’t look completely different.’
Emotional: Kate McCann breaks down as she talks about her missing daughter Madeleine on the Oprah Winfrey show
In the case of a child of Madeleine’s age, the changes are sometimes marked. ‘ You start to lose that baby look,’ said Ms Prince. ‘ Everything will be moved on a stage - the bone structure the nose, the jaw line.
‘The best we can hope is to create familiarity.
‘It is not going to be 100 per cent accurate but that unique likeness remains and hopefully enables people to recognise her still, make a connection.’
Madeleine disappeared on May 3, 2007 while on holiday with her parents and twin siblings, Sean and Amelie, in the Portuguese holiday resort of Praia da Luz.
Oprah aired a trailer for her interview with the McCanns on her U.S. show this afternoon, revealing the picture.
The show will be aired on Monday, May 4 – a day after the McCanns quietly mark the tragic two-year anniversary.
Kate McCann broke down during the Oprah interview as she appealed for information about her missing daughter.
‘My heart broke for them,’ the chat show host wrote in a posting on Twitter earlier this week.
Meanwhile an expert has today claimed the youngster was probably abducted after walking out of her holiday apartment in search of her parents.
Supporting each other: Kate and Gerry unveiled a computer generated image of how Madeleine might look if still alive. It was released today
Criminologist Mark Williams-Thomas said it was unlikely an abductor entered apartment 5a at the Ocean Club in Praia Da Luz, Portugal.
The former detective said Madeleine was probably snatched by an opportunistic paedophile as she looked for her parents as they ate with friends at a nearby tapas bar.
His comments come as Kate and Gerry McCann launch a fresh appeal ahead of the second anniversary since the three-year-old’s disappearance, two years ago this Sunday.
The couple employed a forensic imaging artist from the United States’ National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children to create a photographic impression of how Madeleine would probably look today, aged five, nearly six.
The ‘age progression image’ will be unveiled on Oprah Winfrey’s U.S. chat show, mid-afternoon British time today.
The age progression will be used on posters for a fresh drive to find their daughter.
It is being shown on the Oprah Fridays Live show ahead of the U.S. broadcast of the star’s interview with the McCanns on Monday, extracts from which were released today.
Without evidence to the contrary, the McCanns, from Rothley in Leicestershire, still believe there is ‘a very real likelihood’ Madeleine is alive and well.
In the one-hour interview, which will be screened in the UK at 8pm on Diva TV on Tuesday, Winfrey asked them: ‘Do you let yourself go to the worst?’
Mrs McCann replied: ‘I think it’s natural. I know people mean well when they say don’t let yourself go there, but as a mum, inevitably there are times when I do. And they’re the times that I kind of dip down.’
The interviewer asked them about their marriage.
Meanwhile an criminologist has claimed today that the youngster was probably abducted after walking out of her holiday apartment in search of her parents
Mr McCann said: ‘Child abduction, I think, could destroy any family. There’s no doubt about it.
‘It’s one of the most devastating things. But we’ve been supported tremendously well and I think that’s helped us stay strong and stay together.
‘Obviously, we’re really united in our goal and our love of Madeleine and Sean and Amelie.’
Mrs McCann said she keeps Madeleine’s room ready for her return and said she goes in there about twice a day.
‘Do you talk to her?’ asked Oprah.
Mrs McCann replied: ‘Just [to] say hello, really. Just [to] tell her we’re still going to do everything we can to find her.’
Criminologist Mr Williams-Thomas said publicly-available evidence leads him to believe the three-year-old arranged her toys on her bed and left through the unlocked patio door of the holiday apartment.
He said the case bears striking similarities to the murder of Sarah Payne who was snatched from a West Sussex field nine years ago.
He said: ‘Is it unreasonable to presume that Madeleine woke up and then went in search of her parents at a restaurant within a holiday complex that she had grown familiar with over the course of her holiday?
‘Neatly tucking up her toys – as her parents had done to her – she slipped out of the apartment through an insecure patio door.
‘This seems all the more credible given what we know happened to eight-year-old Sarah Payne who was abducted in July 2000, even though she was only out of sight of her family for a matter of seconds.’
Mr Williams-Thomas made his comments after reviewing more than 10,000 documents amassed by Portuguese police during their investigation.
He said an abductor would not have arranged the toys on the bed as he would have wanted to escape as quickly as possible.
The expert said a paedophile may have also chosen to take one of the younger and more defenceless twins, Sean and Amelie, who were sleeping nearby.
Gerry McCann has revealed Madeleine asked her parents during the holiday why they had not come when the twins had been crying.
Mr Williams-Thomas said: ‘Based on the evidence provided from within the case files it is more likely that she was abducted after she had left the apartment. A number of factors suggest that this is the likely scenario.’
Last year, on the first anniversary, Gerry and Kate launched an appeal, urging anyone who spoke to police about the missing child to contact their own hotline.
The couple were buoyed by the news earlier this week that EU funding had been set aside for the Europe-wide alert system for missing children that they had campaigned for.
They hope for another boost in the coming days, in the form of a substantial response to their release of the image.
They then plan to spend Sunday in private. It is thought the Catholics will not visit their local chapel – although prayers will doubtless be said there for the family and their missing child.
Clarence Mitchell, spokesman for the McCanns, said: ‘It’s going to be a busy weekend. The detectives and hotline are prepared for the response to the age progression image.
‘For Sunday, Kate and Gerry are determined to keep it as private and non-public an event as possible. They may even try to spend it with relatives.’
In a message on their website, FindMadeleine.com, the McCanns said: ‘As the second anniversary of Madeleine’s abduction approaches, there is much still to be done.
‘We continue to remain focussed on our aim – to find Madeleine and bring her back home safely. As Madeleine’s parents we cannot and will not ever stop doing all we can to find her.
‘The search for Madeleine continues with the same strength and determination, and thankfully, there are many people who are continuing to help in a variety of ways.’
Courtesy of the Daily Mail www.dailymail.co.uk
