An expat named Marianne had everyone reaching for the tissues after jetting back to Belfast from Australia for a heartwarming surprise visit with her newborn niece and extended family.

Marianne, who describes herself as "just another Irish girl in Oz" in her TikTok profile, left Belfast in 2022 had originally planned not to come back until Christmas 2023. But the lure of meeting her newest family member proved too strong.

Heartwarming reunion footage filmed on March 31 shows her surprising each of her family members who all can't believe their eyes.

The final clip features Marianne's adult niece jumping into her arms after seeing her for the first time in months.

Speaking about her decision to return to the Northern Ireland capital for this visit, Marianne said: "We are a very close family and my niece is like a sister to me. I couldn't wait to see her, especially since she's been going through a tough time lately.

"My sister had a baby in December 2022 and I knew I had to start saving for flights home. The video is of me surprising my niece who is only four years younger than me. We are so close in age that we are basically sisters. I was so glad to see her."

The heartwarming video of the surprise visit home shows just how much family means to this expat, who was willing to go to great lengths to support her loved ones.

I left Ireland in September 2022 and told my family I would not be back home for a visit until Christmas 2023. However, my sister had a baby in December 2022 and I could not wait until Christmas to come home to meet the baby and see my family. We are a very close family my niece, who is in the video, is only a few years younger than me so we are basically sisters. I couldn’t wait to see her. She has been having a tough time at the minute so I knew that she needed the pick me up.

"I left home to travel in September 2022 and told my family I would not be coming home to visit until Christmas 2023. However we are a very close family and I knew I wanted to try and make it home for a visit before that. My sister had a baby in December 2022 and I knew I had to start saving for flights home. The video is me surprising my niece who is only 4 years younger than me. We are so close in age that we are basically sisters. I was so glad to see her."