Sherri Papini, the mother-of-two who was kidnapped last year and tortured for three weeks, is 'struggling' with her return to society, according to the stranger who offered to pay her ransom.

Sherri was beaten, tortured and branded after two women kidnapped her near Redding, California, on November 2. During that time a stranger came forward and offered to pay the $100,000 ransom.

That man - who does not want to be identified - has now told Crime Watch Daily's Chris Hansen that she is struggling to adapt to society and can't be around any strangers.

In an interview that will air Tuesday, he told Hansen: 'She's having a tough time. She can't be around any strangers. She's seeing some counselors a couple of times a week and she is just struggling.'

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Struggling: Sherri Papini (pictured with husband Keith and her children before her November 2 kidnapping) is 'struggling' to adapt after her harrowing torture, an acquaintance said

Video courtesy of Crime Watch Daily With Chris Hansen

The man, who is silhouetted and has a modulated voice to hide his identity, says he was moved to offer up the reward after seeing Sherri's husband, Keith, crying on TV.

He had never met either of the couple before, he says, but was moved by their story.

'It seemed to me that here's a girl who, you know, has two little kids and got a husband at home crying,' he said.

'And I just visualized what that life was like and I felt like, you know, let's be creative here.'

He initially offered $50,000, but that was bumped up to $100,000 by negotiator Cameron Gamble, and converted into a reward for information on Sherri's location.

That money was returned after Sherri was found, bound and injured, by the side of a road northwest of Sacramento on Thanksgiving.

Grim: Papini was spotted in January for the first time since her release looking grim. Her bruises had healed, but her long blonde hair was gone - cut off by her kidnappers, Keith said

Mystery: The remarks came from this man, who offered up a $100,000 ransom for Sherri after she was kidnapped. He has kept in touch with Keith in the months since

And despite rumors that have circulated since her release on November 24, he doesn't believe that her kidnapping was any form of hoax.

'I am very, very good at reading people and one of my gifts is the gift of discernment and I definitely believe she was abducted.'

Since she returned to her family, the man has kept tabs on Sherri's progress by writing to her husband three times.

He also believes the 34-year-old was originally kidnapped for sex trafficking purposes after being mistaken for a young girl.

The man says he is hiding his identity for the safety of his family, adding: 'This has never been about me. I've had all the recognition in life that a man could ever want and I don't need any more.'

Negotiator: The man - who is hiding his identity to protect his family - gave the money to negotiator Cameron Gamble (pictured), who gave it back after Sherri was released on Nov 27

In January, police revealed that they still have no clues as to who took Sherri, who blamed a pair of Hispanic women with guns for her disappearance.

Sheriff Tom Bosenko said that a number of high-profile crimes near Redding, including a clerk being burned to death in a gas station, had diverted investigators.

However, Sheriff Tom Bosenko told the Record Searchlight that Sherri's case is still a 'top priority.'

He told the paper: 'We are waiting on some of the results on the evidence being processed by the California Department of Justice.'

On January 10, Sherri was spotted outside for the first time. The severe bruising on her face appeared to have healed, but there was no glimpse of her long blonde hair, which her husband said had been chopped off by her captors.

Vanished: Sherri says she was kidnapped near Redding by two Hispanic women with guns, but police have so far failed to make any headway in their investigation

Keith kept his gaze to the ground as he followed his wife outside, carrying their young daughter in one arm.

Sherri was on a routine run in the area when she was kidnapped on November 2. Her cell phone and ear buds were later found on the running track she used.

Keith reported her disappearance when she failed to pick their children up from school. He was initially investigated as a suspect, but then ruled out.

Meanwhile, Sherri was tortured and starved by her captors, whose faces she never saw, before being dumped by the side of the road on Thanksgiving.

The sheriff's office was forced to deny claims they thought her story was a hoax in December after a rogue officer suggested it may have been invented.

No definitive motive for the mother-of-two's kidnapping has been given or suggested.

After her release Keith described the black and yellow bruises across her body when she was first brought to hospital and how she had shrunk to 87lbs.

'Her now emaciated body of 87 pounds was covered in multi colored bruises, severe burns, red rashes, and chain markings,' he said.

'Her signature long, blonde hair had been chopped off.

'She has been branded and I could feel the rise of her scabs under my fingers. She was thrown from a vehicle with a chain around her waist, attached to her wrists and a bag over her head.

'The same bag she used to flag someone down once she was able to free one of her hands.'

The Crime Watch Daily interview will air on Tuesday. For times specific to your location, see this page.