Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

A writer, mother and human rights advocate, Nazanin spent six years unjustly imprisoned in Iran.

This portrait is part of the Empowering Her Collection, featuring the women shaping Britain today.

A woman who held on to hope when certainty disappeared.

Nazanin never chose to become a symbol. She was a mother trying to get home to her daughter.

Her resilience was built not through ambition but through endurance, in a cell, cut off from her family, for nearly six years on charges she denied. It reflects a story far larger than one woman: the cost paid by families caught between governments, and the quiet, relentless campaigning, led by her husband Richard, that eventually brought her home.

During the portrait sitting, Nazanin spoke about survival as something sustained by love rather than defiance alone.

Her story reflects a journey from isolation to freedom, from a mother separated from her young daughter, to a voice now speaking for others still detained around the world.

This portrait captures that journey, not as a moment of closure, but as part of a longer legacy of resilience, advocacy and hope for those still waiting to come home.

In Conversation: behind the portrait

An edited excerpt from the conversation between Caroline de Peyrecave and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, recorded during the portrait’s unveiling at the Private View.

Nazanin: Wow, that is so beautiful. Oh my goodness! There's something special about the eyes. It’s absolutely amazing. You are incredible I think. The hands as well. I’ve got something about hands. Oh and the Origami. And the carpet. Thank you. That's really beautiful. It’s absolutely stunning.

Caroline: You're welcome. Thank you. Enjoy it and enjoy it with Richard.

Nazanin: No, it's really, really beautiful. Yes. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Caroline: So it's called Held in Plain Sight. And this [the Origami still life] is called What Cannot Be Folded.

Nazanin: Oh, nice. Yeah, that does it again. What cannot be folded. Yeah. Really beautiful. Thank you.

Caroline: You’re welcome.

Watch the full conversation with all eight sitters

Recorded at Green & Stone Gallery at the Private View of Empowering Her. This conversation features Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Emma Barnett, Sally Phillips, Lady Phyll, Daryl Fielding, Zoe Stratford and General Dame Sharon Nesmith.

  • “There is a power in my eyes I have never seen before, and I love that.”

    — Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

Explore the collection

  • Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe Portrait Thumbnail

    Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

    A writer, mother and human rights advocate, Nazanin’s six years of unjust imprisonment demanded extraordinary resilience.

  • Sally Phillips

    Comedian, actor and writer, Sally Phillips has built a career by telling the truth through humour.

  • General Dame Sharon Nesmith

    The first female four-star general and the highest-ranking military officer in the British Army, General Nesmith's career has reshaped what's possible for women in the Army.

  • Lady Phyll Opoku-Gyimah

    Co-founder of UK Black Pride and a global LGBTQ+ advocate, Lady Phyll has spent her life creating space for others to exist fully and safely.

  • Emma Barnett

    Award-winning broadcaster and journalist, Emma has built a career centred on listening deeply.

  • Zoe Stratford

    Captain of England’s Red Roses and World Rugby Women’s Player of the Year, Zoe has become one of the defining leaders in women’s rugby.

  • Daryl Fielding

    Marketing leader and creative force behind Dove’s Real Beauty campaign, Daryl Fielding helped transform how women and girls see themselves.

  • Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock

    Space scientist, educator and broadcaster, Dr Maggie has spent her career opening up science to wider audiences who’ve never seen themselves reflected in STEM.