Brittney Griner's wife, Cherelle, is speaking out for the first time since the WNBA star was sentenced to nine years in prison in Russia ... saying it feels like her partner is being held as "a hostage" in the foreign country.
Cherelle sat down for an interview with Gayle King this week -- and explained she's absolutely "terrified" of what's going on with Griner, her trial, and the negotiations to get her out.
"It's like a movie for me," she said. "In no world did I ever thought our president and a foreign nation president would be sitting down having to discuss the freedom of my wife."
Griner -- who's been married to Cherelle since 2019 -- was arrested in February in Russia after she was found to have hashish oil in her luggage while at an airport.
During her trial, Griner admitted to having the substances in her bag, but she told a judge that she packed it by mistake and had no intentions of breaking Russian laws. She was eventually found guilty -- and sentenced to nine years behind bars.
She is appealing the ruling, and the date for a hearing on that matter has been set for Oct. 25.
Cherelle says it's all been a horrifying experience for her.
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"As much as everybody's telling me a different definition of what BG is, it feels to me as if she's a hostage," Cherelle said. "It terrifies me."
Cherelle told King she has legitimate worries that she may never see her wife again.
"When you watch movies," she said, "sometimes those situations don't end well. Sometimes they never get the person back."
President Joe Biden has vowed to do everything in his power to get the basketball player home ... saying in August he and his administration will "work tirelessly" until she's back.