The British-born wife of ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad is reportedly suffering from leukemia, and doctors have given her a “50/50” chance of survival.
Asma al-Assad, 49, and her husband are holed up in Moscow after being forced into exile when Islamist rebels overthrew the brutal tyrant's rule.
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It has since been revealed that Asmaa is seriously ill with cancer and is being isolated by doctors in a Moscow hospital for fear of infection, according to The Telegraph newspaper.
The dictator's wife is reportedly trying desperately to get treatment in London after filing for divorce from Assad, whom she met in the early 1990s while on holiday in Syria.
The former First Lady, who was once known as the “Desert Rose” for her elegance and charm, is being cared for by her father, Fawaz Al-Akhras, who works as a doctor on London's famous Harley Street.
A source close to the family said: “Asmaa is dying.”
“She can't be in the same room with anyone [because of her condition]”.
The Syrian presidency revealed that Alma had been diagnosed with an aggressive cancer known as myeloid leukemia, which attacks the bone marrow and blood.
She had previously been treated for breast cancer before saying that she was cured of the disease after a year of treatment.
But now her leukemia is said to have returned.
A source said: “When the leukemia comes back, it's bad. She's been 50/50 for the last few weeks.”
Asma was born in London to Syrian parents, and became the First Lady of Syria when she married Bashar al-Assad in December 2000.
Asma was best known for her work promoting health and education initiatives in Syria, but her image was severely tarnished thanks to her husband's tyrannical regime, which has now fallen amid the Syrian civil war.
Now, reports indicate that Asma is dissatisfied with her life under the Russian regime, after she fled to Moscow after Assad fell from power.
While the couple was living in exile, the former First Lady reportedly wanted to return to the UK, and even filed for divorce from Bashar.
Their relationship began in the early 1990s when Bashar, then an ophthalmologist, moved to London.
Their marriage in 2000 marked the beginning of Asma's role as First Lady, just as Bashar inherited the brutal dictatorship after the sudden death of his brother Basil.
But after her exile in Moscow, Asma is said to have become increasingly disillusioned with her life in Russia, a situation some have described as a “golden cage.”
She has applied to a Russian court for permission to leave Moscow and return to the UK, despite significant political and legal obstacles standing in her way.
It remains unclear how important these requests were, given her family's deep-rooted ties to the regime into which she married.
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Her family denied initial reports of her divorce, and her father, Fawaz Al-Akhras, confirmed that these allegations were false.
But sources indicate that Asmaa still wants to return to the United Kingdom, where she has relationships and believes she will receive better medical care for her health condition.
While her family confirms that she is receiving the best possible treatment in Russia, the possibility of her returning to Britain seems slim, given the sanctions imposed on her and the Assad family.
Meanwhile, British officials have repeatedly stated that Asma is no longer welcome in the UK.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy stresses that she should not be allowed to return.
Calls to revoke her British passport have gained momentum, citing her ongoing association with her husband's brutal regime, which was responsible for widespread atrocities during the Syrian civil war.
Pro-opposition analysts claim that Asma may yearn for a life outside Moscow, and may seek to return to work in investment banking.
However, with its ties to the Assad regime and its status as a sanctioned individual, its ability to regain a foothold in the West is highly unlikely.
Instead, she may find herself restricted to living out her days under the close surveillance of the Russian government, a stark contrast to the glamorous life she once enjoyed as Syria's First Lady.
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