Three decades have passed since two-year-old James Bulger was abducted and murdered in a crime that horrified Britain and the world. Yet for his mother, Denise Fergus, the wound remains raw — and the guilt, unbearable.

Speaking with ITV News in a deeply emotional interview, Denise displayed extraordinary strength and composure as she revisited the tragedy that has defined her life. But when asked how she copes with the loss, her voice broke as she whispered the words that silenced viewers across the nation: “I still blame myself.”

For many watching, it was a heart-stopping reminder of the cruel burden parents of victims often carry. Despite having no fault in James’s abduction from the Bootle shopping centre in 1993, Denise confessed that she still replays the day in her mind — wondering if there was anything she could have done differently.

Her admission has reignited fierce debate over justice and trauma. Should a grieving mother still carry such guilt decades later, when it was two 10-year-old boys — Robert Thompson and Jon Venables — who committed the unspeakable act? Psychologists say that survivors of trauma often internalize blame, even when it is irrational, because it gives them a false sense of control over a senseless tragedy.

But Denise’s words are about more than guilt — they are about resilience. In the years since James’s death, she has fought relentlessly to keep his memory alive, campaigning against Jon Venables’ repeated attempts for parole, speaking at public events, and dedicating her life to ensuring no child suffers the same fate. Her strength, many argue, has turned unimaginable pain into a voice for justice.

The public response has been overwhelming. Social media flooded with messages of support, with thousands insisting she has nothing to blame herself for. “Denise is a warrior,” one viewer wrote. “She has carried the grief of a nation on her shoulders. She is the last person who should feel guilty.”

Yet her confession cuts deep, proving that time does not erase the scars of Britain’s most haunting child murder. Thirty-two years on, Denise Fergus still carries the weight of that day — not just as a victim’s mother, but as a woman forever bound to a tragedy that changed the country.

And as parole debates over Venables resurface once again, Denise’s words serve as a chilling reminder: for her, justice will never be about forgiveness or closure — it will always be about protecting James’s legacy, and never allowing the world to forget.