Ingrid Betancourt, the former Colombian presidential candidate rescued from leftist rebels, says a fellow hostage saved her life when she became dangerously ill in the jungle.
During her six years in captivity, Betancourt suffered from fevers that may have been caused by hepatitis.
She told broadcaster France 2 on Thursday that she endured "a series of problems that piled on top of each other. I couldn't nourish myself, I lost weight as you saw, I lost the capacity to move, I was prostrated in my hammock, I had trouble drinking."
One of the other hostages freed this week, William Perez, studied nursing in the military and used his skills to treat her. Betancourt said she may have died without his help.
Perez made serums to treat Betancourt's fevers, but mostly he had to make do with just aspirin.
Betancourt, abducted in 2002 by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), was rescued by Colombian commandos on Wednesday. Three Americans were also freed, along with Perez and 10 other Colombian hostages.
The U.S. hostages were military contractors, and have been identified as Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes and Keith Stansell. They were captured in 2003, after their small plane crashed in the jungle.
On Thursday, the U.S. military gave an update on their condition.
"Our primary interest initially was to rule out any infectious diseases and provide isolation, to prevent any infectious risk to any visitors, other patients or family members," Col. Jackie Hayes, the lead physician examining the men, told reporters.
"I am happy to report that they are all in very good physical condition, very strong. The results of the tests are pending at this point, but everything really looks well. They're in great spirits."
Betancourt reunited with family
In Bogota, Betancourt rushed to meet her children -- Lorenzo, 19, and Melanie, 22 -- after their plane landed.
"The last time I saw my son, Lorenzo was a little kid and I could carry him around," she said. "I told them, they're going to have to put up with me now, because I'm going to be stuck to them like chewing gum."
Betancourt, appearing thin but healthy, said it was because of them that she kept up her will to survive.
Betancourt, who also holds French citizenship, thanked France for helping to push for her release.
"I want to tell President Sarkozy -- and through him all the French people -- that they were our support, our light," she said in an interview with the Colombian television station RCN.
"It's time for me to thank the French, to tell them I admire them, that I feel proud to be French as well."
Rescue operation
Colombian commandos freed the hostages without firing a single shot in an elaborately planned helicopter rescue.
The commandos tricked FARC members into releasing the captives, according to Defence Minister Juan Manuel Santos.
The group infiltrated the rebels and told a local commander in charge of the hostages they would take him to the top FARC leader, Alfonso Cano.
Instead, the commandos whisked the hostages away in helicopters and peacefully captured the rebels.
Betancourt said the commandos only revealed their true identity to the hostages once they were safely airborne.
"The chief of the operation said, `We're the national army. You're free,'" she said.
No one was killed or injured in the operation. Santos said it would go down in history "for its audacity and effectiveness."
FARC has tried to overthrow the Colombian government for more than 40 years, and still has dozens of hostages. The group's leader, Manuel Marulanda, died last March.
The rebels captured Betancourt in 2002 while she was running for Colombia's presidency. She had been a major critic of the group.
Michael Shifter, a professor of Latin American Studies at Georgetown University, said Friday that Betancourt's release is a major blow to the group.
"The FARC has been around for over 40 years. They have about 8,000 to 9,000 combatants. They have money from the drug trade and other criminal activity -- so I don't think they're going to disappear," he told 麻豆影视net on Thursday.
"But, clearly, as a national, coherent army I think this was a mortal blow."
Before Wednesday, Betancourt had not been seen since 2003.
A former hostage said rebels kept her chained to a tree after she attempted to escape.
Betancourt was born in Colombia but raised in Paris, and was once married to a French diplomat.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy had made Betancourt's release a major priority for his government.
With files from The Associated Press
