BBC News presenter Joanna Gosling was visibly moved while announcing the news that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is “heading to Tehran airport and on her way home”.
It is hoped the British-Iranian mother is about to leave Iran where she has been detained since 2016, her MP Tulip Siddiq has said.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her fellow detainee Anoosheh Ashoori are believed to be heading to Tehran airport in a bid to leave the country.
While announcing the breaking news story on Wednesday’s BBC News, Joanna was overcome with emotion.
“Sorry, this is a moving moment because these are people who have been detained for some time,” she told viewers.
“Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been held for nearly six years in Iran and her husband has worked tirelessly to secure her release.”
Boris Johnson said negotiations about Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe were “moving forward” but “going right up to the wire”.
But there is still nervousness in Whitehall about the ongoing situation, with sources stressing the pair will not be free until they are actually on a plane out of Iran.