The release of Ingrid Betancourt was greeted with joy in France, where her plight has been a national cause. Ms Betancourt, 46, who was brought up in France and holds French citizenship through a former husband, became a household name in her adopted country after her capture.

Her portrait has been displayed on the façade of the Paris city hall for years and only on Monday a team of climbers planted her picture on the summit of Mont Blanc, the opening day of France’s turn to hold the presidency of the European Union.

The daughter of a Colombian ambassador to the Unesco headquarters in Paris, Ms Betancourt grew up among the French governing elite and was close to Dominique de Villepin, the former Prime Minister. He sent special forces to Colombia two years ago in a vain attempt to win her release.

The French public have been gripped by the saga, which has been given constant media coverage as videos and written accounts have filtered out from the jungle. President Sarkozy made it a point of honour to promise to extract Ms Betancourt. He made two direct radio appeals to Farc rebel leaders calling for her release, along with other hostages. Her liberation, although by Colombian forces, will be a big boost to Mr Sarkozy.

Ms Betancourt, who had two children with a French fellow student whom she married in 1983, was elected a Colombian senator for a left-wing party after campaigning against corruption in 1998. She had tried to escape but she could never break free from the thick jungle and Farc’s firm grip, according to former hostages.

She was often chained and spent her evenings sleeping in a hammock, France was especially moved last year when a video showed her in a state of despair and extremely poor health.

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