THE wife of a Farnham man remains “hopeful” of an early release despite celebrating Christmas Day and her birthday in an Iranian jail.

Mum of one Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, whose husband Richard Ratcliffe grew up in the town and was once on the books of Farnham Rugby Club, ate roast chicken, made Christmas cake and read Bible passages with fellow inmates at the notorious Evin prison in Tehran on December 25.

Her three-year-old daughter Gabriella, who has been forced to live with her grandparents in Iran since her mother was arrested in early 2016, was invited to the home of the British ambassador to Iran, where she was given a colouring book.

Back in the UK, Richard spent the day without his wife and daughter, and without a Christmas tree having vowed not to buy one until they could all decorate it together. In fact, the only decoration in the family’s home was an untouched advent calendar intended for Gabriella.

On Boxing Day, Nazanin - who has served one year of a five year jail sentence in Tehran for allegedly attempting to overthrow the Iranian government, charges her family describe as ludicrous - celebrated her 39th birthday, again behind bars.

Hopes were raised that Nazanin could be released in time for Christmas after officials said she was “eligible for release” in the wake of foreign secretary Boris Johnson meeting the Iranian president earlier in December.

Those hopes were ultimately frustrated. But Richard remains optimistic that his wife could be released in the New Year, telling the BBC that he was “sitting by the phone hoping”.