Jack Laurence

Shared belief, or the appearance of it, is one of the most powerful bonds that exists between human beings.

If your captive believes you are now, in some sense, a brother or a sister in faith, the calculus of whether to hurt you shifts.

However, Nigel does say that the decision also did come with a number of downsides.

The stress, guilt and depression would begin to spiral for Nigel in those first few weeks in captivity.

But thankfully, Amanda was there and able to bring him out of it and focus his mind on the situation and just how they were going to get through it and out the other side.

Nigel and Amanda's captives' apparent excitement that the pair had chosen the religion of Islam would seemingly be short-lived.

And in fact, it would enable them to remove the one thing that was keeping Nigel focused.

Amanda.

Although the pair had been separated, they would find ways in which to communicate.

Communications that started out as simple messages of support and love to those around the discussions of escape.

Next time, on What I Survived.

There's a question most of us never have to answer.

How would I react when everything is stripped away, when it's just you and the worst thing that has ever happened to anyone is happening to you?

Would you fall apart?

Or would something else take over?

Some people fight for their lives.

Some fight for the people they love.

And others walk into danger on purpose.

You're literally going undercover in North Korea to film these people.

Others have been killed for far less.