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.

The wife of deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad is severely ill with leukaemia and has been given a 50/50 chance of survival, media reports have claimed. Asma Assad is being isolated to prevent infection and cannot be in the same room as other people, the Telegraph newspaper also reported.