Assad, Asma al-Assad, is said to be battling leukemia, with doctors giving her a '50/50' chance of survival. The 49-year-old and her husband are currently in Moscow after being forced into exile when Islamist rebels overthrew Assad's brutal regime.

Cliche has it that behind every great man stands a woman—and as it happens, the same also applies to murderous dictators. Syria’s fallen tyrant, Bashar al-Assad, fled to friendly Moscow after his regime was toppled by rebels two weeks ago.

The British wife of ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad is deathly ill with leukemia — with doctors only giving her a 50% chance of survival, according to a report. “Asma is dying,” one source recently in direct contact with a family representative told the Telegraph of 49-year-old Asma al-Assad.