‘I want to know who I am’: Julia speaks in first TV interview since Madeleine McCann claims

“I want to know who I am,” Julia Wendell announced as she stepped onto Dr Phil last night, for her first televised interview since claiming she might be Madeleine McCann.

Julia, also known as  Julia Faustyna, has gone viral recently with claims she might be Madeleine McCann, who went missing aged three in Praia da Luz, Portugal. She was joined in the interview by psychic medium and private investigator, Dr Fia Johansson, who has been working with Julia since her claims went big on Instagram.

Introducing the interview, Julia can be heard saying she just wants to know if she’s Madeleine McCann or not. She then discussed her “evidence”, how she feels towards her family, and the latest on her pending DNA test results.  Here’s everything she said during her first TV interview.

The Dr Phil interview begins with a recap of when Julia first started to think she might be Madeleine McCann, and how her case got to where it is now

Julia said it was in June 2022 she first started to think she could be Madeleine, and recalled about a year ago she began to research the Madeleine McCann case, believing she might be the missing child. “I felt in my life something is wrong here,” she said. She said her mother didn’t hug her as a child, and didn’t tell her she loved her, which was “a little suspicious” to Julia.

“I started to ask my mother some questions about pictures from being pregnant, and some documents like birth certificate,” Julia said. “She always changed the subject.” Julia said every child in Poland should have a Public Health Book, but the first six pages of hers are blank.

Julia said she called embassies and authorities, but nobody listened. So, she set up the “I am Madeleine McCann” Instagram account, which reached a million followers before being deleted, to use the “power of social media” to get her case heard.

Dr Fia claimed Julia’s mother refused DNA tests, and ignored calls and texts. She said she cannot know “100 per cent” if Julia is Madeleine, “but it’s also hard to deny it 100 per cent.”

Dr Phil took a look at all the ‘evidence’ Julia posted on Instagram pointing towards her being Madeleine McCann

When her Instagram account was active, Julia posted regularly, sharing her “evidence”. She shared pictures of the defect Madeleine has in her iris, which Julia has too, as well as a dimple in the cheek both girls share.

Julia also described how her facial expression is like a photo of Madeleine when she laughs. “When I laugh, my eyes close a little,” Julia said. “Like in the picture [of Madeleine]. When I laugh, it’s the same expression.”

Julia was then asked about her biological parents

It’s been reported a lot throughout this story that the people who raised Julia have always said they are her biological parents, and are troubled Julia thinks otherwise. “They didn’t want to show me any proof,” Julia claimed to Dr Phil. “My mother, when I asked her for DNA and childhood pictures, she refused and didn’t want to.”

Dr Fia claimed they drove to the hospital Julia’s mother said she gave birth at and “they didn’t find anything there”. She claimed no local hospitals had a record of Julia.

Julia’s family has previously claimed Julia took photographs and a birth certificate from the family home, which Julia has again denied ever happened. “It is obvious Julia isn’t Maddie,” they said in a previous statement.

Dr Phil then brought up an early memory Julia recalled, which is similar to the apartments Madeleine McCann was taken from

When Julia first went viral, she claimed her earliest childhood memory was of being somewhere near a beach and the sea, with light-coloured buildings. She spoke to Dr Phil about this, with Dr Fia adding: “That could possibly be the building where Madeleine McCann vanished.”

Dr Fia said this story must be true, as she has asked Julia about it multiple times, and her story is always exactly the same.

Julia also spoke about abuse she experienced as a child and how this is linked to the Madeleine case

“Peter Ney sexually abused me when I was a child,” Julia told Dr Phil. “Peter Ney was convicted because of what he did to me.” Julia said she thinks Peter Ney might be related to Martin Ney, who was once a suspect in the Madeleine McCann investigation. She explained Martin Ney is a serial killer and child trafficker.

Julia is now just waiting for her DNA test results

Recently, Julia has been in the US awaiting DNA test results, hoping to find out the truth about who she is. She travelled there with psychic medium and private investigator Dr Fia, and the results are thought to be expected any day now.

Julia confirmed this with Dr Phil, and said if the results come back and her mother is in fact her birth mother, she doesn’t want any more contact with her. “I believe she isn’t my mother,” Julia said.

Watch the full Dr Phil interview with Julia explaining her Madeleine McCann claims here:

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• From Instagram lives to DNA tests: A full timeline of Julia’s Madeleine McCann saga

• Who is Julia? Everything we know about 21-year-old who thinks she’s Madeleine McCann

• A brief history of girls coming forward and claiming they’re Madeleine McCann