The 'talented' twin siblings of Madeleine McCann are 'making their own way in life' over 18 years after the tragic disappearance of their sister, a family member has said.

Maddie was just three years old when she disappeared from aflat in Praia da Luz, Portugal on May 3, 2007, sparking a huge international operation that remains unsolved to this day. Over the years, her have remained steadfast in their - recently saying their- while at the same time raising their two twin children, Amelie and Sean.

The twins are now grown up, at 20 years old, and are said to be doing well in their studies at separate universities.

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Brian Kennedy, their great-uncle, told the Mail Online that Kate and Gerry have been very "pleased" with the twins' achievements, with both of them excelling in athletics.

Amelie, who has competed in cross country and triathlon events, is now studying at a university in the north of England.

Sean, a champion freestyle swimmer, is meanwhile being tipped to represent at next year's - and could even be flying over to Los Angeles to compete for at the 2028 Olympics.

He is said to have got into swimming at a young age, recently writing on a local website: "At the age of ten, I was selected to swim at City of Leicester, and I have since gone on to win multiple county titles, as well as becoming regional and national champion in my age group.

"In order to have achieved this, I have had to remain extremely dedicated, getting up at 4am multiple mornings each week to train."

Sean represented Team Scotland at the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2023, making it to the 400 and 1500m Freestyle finals.

He's also know to be a keen Open Water swimmer, and is part of the country's National Open Water Development Squad.

Away from his intense training schedule - which sees him in the pool and in the gym for 20 hours each week - he is also currently studying chemical engineering, and is at a different university to his sister.

Despite the agony of their daughter's disappearance, both Kate and Gerry have also tried to live as normal lives as possible, and are understood to both be back at work.

Gerry is a research professor in experimental medicine and a professor of cardiac imaging at the University of Leicester.

Kate, who was a GP before Madeleine went missing, eventually returned to work in the healthcare sector during the Covid pandemic.

She is now working with sufferers of dementia, and is an ambassador for the charity Missing People.