The mum of a Polish woman who believed she was Madeleine McCann has spoken out after DNA test results revealed she is not the missing child. Julia Wendell made headlines across the world after saying she believed she was the youngster who vanished in 2007 while on holiday in Portugal.
The 21-year-old was being helped by US media personality Dr Fia Johnansson, a self-styled psychic and mystic, who supported Julia's claims and ideas. However test results this week revealed that Julia is not related to the McCann family at all and is definitely Polish.
Now her mother Dorota Wandelt-Cholewinski and stepfather Piotr Cholewinski have spoken out over their distress at the claims by Wendell that she isn't their daughter, the Mirror reports.
A family friend told MailOnline: "Julia is a very disturbed young woman. Her mother Dorota is just beside herself, she can't believe how this has snowballed, Julia is very sick and Dorota just wants her to get the help she needs.
"It was clear from the beginning that Julia was not Madeleine and Dorota is furious that this so-called doctor exploited the illness of a very young woman. Dorota is mortified that all this publicity has caused fresh grief for the McCann family."
Julia is understood to have returned to Poland following the definitive DNA results ruling her out as Madeleine, but she hasn't returned to her home with Dorota and Piotr. Another source close to the family said they are keen for Julia to seek help for her mental health issues, and to stop claiming she isn't related to them.
One family friend shared: "The family couldn't believe what she was saying as they had given her so much love and support when she was younger - even though she had pushed them away and rejected them.
"Her mother was telling everyone her daughter had mental health issues and she asked her to stop lying and spreading these claims but Julia just said she didn't believe Dorota was her mother.
"Julia says she doesn't have a birth certificate or photos but she took them with her from the family home in Wroclaw - she has all the documents that prove who she is and she most certainly is not Madeleine McCann."
They added: "She has had mental health issues for many years and there have been several cases of self-harm, she needs serious help."
Madeleine McCann went missing from Praia da Luz on the Algarve on 3 May 2007, and has never been found.
Her parents Gerry McCann and Kate McCann have tried for over 15 years to find clues of what happened to their daughter and where she might be, but to no avail.
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