Woman who claims to be Madeline McCann appears on Dr Phil

The woman who alleges to be Madeleine McCann went on Dr Phil to defend her claims and take a swipe at the woman she says is not her mother.

The woman who for months has claimed she is Madeline McCann has gone on US television to insist that her claims are no hoax.

Julie Wendell, from Poland, appeared onDr Phil on Monday, the long running talk show hosted by psychologist Dr Phil McGraw.

She told the host that she had never bonded with her mother and accused her of not showing “proof” she was indeed her biological parent.

Several DNA tests are currently underway to determine Ms Wendell’s biological background.

The 21-year-old’s eye-opening claim is that she is British girl McCann who went missing in 2007 in Portugal when she was three.

Julia Wendell (right) with private investigator Dr Fia Johansson (left) who is helping Julia look into her past. Picture: Dr Fia Johansson

Ms Wendell has shared “evidence” online that she said backed up her astonishing theory.

These have included a comparison of her and Madeleine’s facial structure, along with her claim that they both have a rare eye defect.

However, it has since been reported that Julia is most likely not Maddie, after a facial recognition analysis failed to match the two.

Julia Wendell has insisted she is Madeleine McCann. Picture: Handout /Metropolitan Police/AFP

On the Dr Phil show, Ms Wendell again said her facial features are a match for Maddie.

Dr McGraw compared images of the eyes of Madeleine and Ms Wendell side-by-side and the possible similar markings in their irises. He asked her if she had the “same phenomenon”.

“Fairly faded now, but yes,” said Ms Wendell.

He also compared the cheeks of the two where the Polish women has said there are similarities.

“It’s a dimple, not a birthmark. You think you have a similar dimple?” said Dr McGraw, looking sceptical.

“My picture when I was 17 years old, I had a dimple” she replied.

Ms Wendell also said her laugh was similar to Madeleine’s because of the way her eyes closed. But she said it was more pronounced when she was a teenager.

At times, Ms Wendell looked uncomfortable being under the spotlight in front of an audience.

Julia Wendell, woman who claims to be Madeline McCann, appeared on Dr Phil. Picture: CBS

Woman hits out at ‘mother’

Dr McGraw raised the point that Ms Wendell’s mother has dismissed her claims and said she is her daughter.

“She said that but she hasn’t shown me any proof,” said Ms Wendell.

However, that proof could soon reveal itself due to a number of DNA tests now in progress.

“If that result is consistent with your mother, that shows you are biologically related, what you will think then?” Dr McGraw asked.

“I think that mothers should not do these things to their children,” she said.

“If she is my biological mother, I don’t want to have contact with her.

“But I believe she is not my mother.”

Ms Wendell has said there are no photos of her mother pregnant and said she had no birth certificate. She also said her and her mother never bonded.

At times Dr Phil didn’t seem that impressed. Picture: CBS

Family rubbishes claims

But the Wendell family has continued to push back against her claims.

“We have memories, we have pictures. Julia also has these photos because she took them from the family home with the birth certificate, as well as numerous hospital discharges,” they said previously in a statement.

“We always tried to understand all situations that happened with Julia – threats to our address from Julia, her lies and manipulations, activity on the internet.

“The internet won’t forget, and it’s obvious that Julia isn’t Maddie. We are devastated at this current situation.”

Despite some similarities between Ms Wendell and Madeleine, neither London’s Metropolitan Police nor the Find Madeleine campaign have issued statements about Ms Wendell’s claim.

Previous updates on the case have been shared by police in London and the McCanns, potentially suggesting that the Polish woman’s claim is not being treated as a serious possibility.

The McCanns have not been part of any DNA tests with Ms Wendell.

The last major update in the case came in June 2020, when police in Britain and Germany launched a renewed appeal for witnesses after revealing they had a new suspect, who was later revealed to be jailed paedophile Christian Brueckner.

German prosecutors last year charged Brueckner with three counts of aggravated rape and two counts of sexual abuse of children between 2000 and 2017, but none of the alleged offences are in relation to Madeleine.

The McCann’s issued a statement at the time saying they welcomed the renewed appeal for information.