Woman who claims she is Madeleine McCann tells Dr Phil she will take whatever tests are necessary to prove claim

28 March 2023, 08:23 | Updated: 6 April 2023, 12:18

‘I Believe I’m Madeleine McCann’

By Will Taylor

A Polish woman who claims to be Madeleine McCann has said she is willing to complete whatever tests are necessary to show she is the missing girl.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

Julia Wendell, 21, appeared on US show Dr Phil on Monday and said she began suspecting she was Madeleine in June last year.

"I believe I am Madeleine McCann," she insisted.

She claimed her mother would change the subject when she brought up her birth, and that her photos and birth certificate were never shown to her.

And she claimed a document in Poland that tracks her health as a child has six blank pages at the start.

Dr Phil talked her through photos Julia claims show similarities to Madeleine, including her suggestion that she laughs similarly to the missing girl in one photo.

He asked about her parents, who maintain they are her biological parents, but Julia said her mother "didn't want to show me any proof".

Julia's claims have not been verified
Julia's claims have not been verified. Picture: Social media

"She says she went to the hospital and gave birth to you," Dr Phil said.

"She said, yes. When I asked her for DNA before this whole situation, when I asked her for some pictures from her pregnancy, some childhood pictures… she refused."

Read more: Woman claiming she is Madeleine McCann threatens to sue mother who raised her in Poland

When Dr Phil pushed her on why she had not sent DNA samples to the Met, she said she had tried to contact police in the UK but had not heard back.

She said nobody listened to her at either the British or Polish embassies so she switched to Instagram to push her claims.

Read more: Madeleine McCann cops set to get £300,000 funding boost but 'eyebrows raised' in time of 'squeezed budgets'

She said she would take whatever tests are needed to prove her claim.

Her claims have been encouraged by Fia Johansson, who has become Julia's spokeswoman. She is a self-titled "medium".

Maddie vanished in 2007
Maddie vanished in 2007. Picture: Handout

Ms Johansson appeared on Dr Phil too, saying while it is not yet possible to say Julia is definitely missing Madeleine, she claimed it is impossible to completely deny it.

She has previously said Julia's family refuse to take their calls on the matter, while Julia's family have said it is "obvious" she is their relative.

Madeleine vanished during a family holiday to Portugal in 2007.

Cops investigating what happened are set to be given another £300,000 to keep the case going.

Kate and Gerry McCann have not commented on Julia's story.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

A law that bans fake reviews and so called drip pricing for online shopping has come into force.

UK bans fake reviews and hidden fees in new law to protect online shoppers

Lucy Connolly was jailed for 31 months.

Tory councillor's wife who was jailed for inciting racial hatred after Southport attacks 'should be freed', says ex-PM

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said at last year's Budget that the move would raise £25 billion per year by 2029

Prices ‘pushed higher’ and warnings of job losses as National Insurance rise comes into effect

Video footage shows the convoy had emergency lights flashing when it was hit

Israel admits ‘mistakenly’ killing 15 aid workers after video leak contradicted official version of events

Police found two men stabbed on on Erconwald Street in East Acton. One of them died at the scene

Murder probe as man knifed to death in double stabbing in London street

Dan Norris, pictured here next to Keir Starmer has also been held on suspicion of misconduct in public office

Labour MP arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences

The victim, centre, and his two killers

Moment London knife victim, 22, buys drinks for his killers before they stab him to death in street

An armed Met counter-terror firearms unit at Downing Street

UK police chiefs ‘plan national counter-terrorism force’

Patrick Mullins aboard Nick Rockett after winning the Randox Grand Nationa

Nick Rockett wins 2025 Grand National at Aintree holding off last year's winner I Am Maximus

She was reportedly robbed outside an Italian restaurant in Cheshire

Wife of Man Utd goalkeeper Andre Onana ‘robbed of £62K handbag and Rolex’

Jaguar Land Rover has paused shipments to the US in the wake of 'Liberation Day' tariffs

Jaguar Land Rover halts shipments to US in wake of tariffs as Trump insists he'll win 'economic revolution'

The fire happened at Goldenbeach Holiday Park, Roman Bank, Ingoldmells.

Two people killed in caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Easter eggs have been recalled over a potential risk of 'metal'

'Do not eat' warning as major chocolate brand recalls two Easter eggs amid fears they contain metal

Flowers and toys left on a swing seat to commemorate victims killed in Russia's missile attack on Friday

Death toll from Russian strike on Zelenskyy's home town rises as 18 confirmed dead - including nine children

Lucy Connolly

Tory councillor's wife who was jailed for racial hatred tweet after Southport attacks 'denied temporary release'

The scene at Beckenham Place Park

Body found in search for teenage boy who went missing while swimming in lake in south-east London