Cleo Smith’s parents break their silence

OSTN Staff

Ellie Smith and Jake Giddon will share never-before-heard details of the family’s ordeal, as well as what Cleo said after being reunited with her parents in tonight’s $2 million tell-all interview.In a promo released ahead of tonight’s program, Ms Smith told reporter Tara Brown her daughter is coping extremely well with the attention.“She loves it,” she told Brown.“We were in Perth and someone went up to her and they’re like: ‘Hi Cleo’, and she was like: ‘Hi! Hello!’But the youngster also doesn’t quite understand the situation.“We walked away, and she was like, ‘Mum, how does she know my name?’” Ms Smith continued.The four-year-old was allegedly abducted from her family’s tent on October 16, 2021 during a trip to the Blowholes campsite in Western Australia.Her disappearance launched a massive manhunt and dominated headlines both across Australia and the world.“I felt like my heart was … it told me, like, she’s not here, she’s not going to run into my arms today. She’s not going to run down a sand dune,” Ms Smith said in a previously-released promo. “She was basically nowhere near me and that was the second I realised that someone had her and both my head and my heart connected to that. Someone has taken her and someone had my baby.”Cleo was missing for 18 days when she was eventually discovered by police on November 3 at a home in Carnarvon, just over 80km from where she was taken.Terence Darrell Kelly, 36, was arrested the same day Cleo was found.He has since pleaded guilty to forcibly taking a child aged under 16 and faced Carnarvon Magistrates Court in late January via video link from the maximum security Casuarina Prison in Perth.The matter was committed to the WA District Court for a sentence mention in March.Ms Smith revealed her daughter’s first words were, “hi mummy”.“Cleo got onto the phone and she’s like ‘hi mummy’, and I was like ‘hi baby’,” Ms Smith said, adding: “It was such a beautiful moment.”When police found the youngster, her first words were to them were, “My name is Cleo” – which caused a global sensation, with millions around the world following the story overwhelmed with relief she had been found safe and well.The 60 Minutes interview with Tara Brown will be conducted via video call as a result of WA’s strict Covid lockdowns.It reportedly netted the family $2 million, setting a new Australian TV record.It is understood the deal includes a miniseries or documentary as well as stories across Channel 9’s website and papers.Cleo herself is not believed to be involved in the interview, and detectives involved in the case have also declined to participate, according to the West Australian.My Name Is Cleo will air on Sunday, February 6 at 8.30pm on Channel 9 and 9 Now.

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