Axed presenter Miriam O'Reilly says she has done the "right thing" by "standing up" to the BBC after she won an age discrimination case against the corporation.
Ms O'Reilly, 53, who lost her Countryfile job in advance of it moving to a prime-time Sunday evening slot, also said she would like to return to work at the corporation.
Fighting back tears at times, she told a news conference in London she was "overwhelmed" after winning her case.
She also said she was "really impressed" by the BBC's decision to apologise to her following the judgment and the corporation's announcement that it would like to talk about working with her again in the future.
"It was hard to take on the BBC because I love the BBC and I loved working there," she said.
"I think it is one of the best broadcast organisations in the world but I felt that I was treated badly because of my age.
"Standing up to the BBC was the right thing to do, however hurtful, however stressful it has been. I would like to go back to work for the BBC.
"I took this action because I wanted to work for the BBC."
