Asma al-Assad was once seen as a feminist icon in the Middle East. AFP via Getty Images. Assad, who was born in London, is believed to have flown to the Russian capital before her husband was ...

Asma al-Assad was always the friendly face of a brutal regime. The UK-born ophthalmologist married Bashar al-Assad in December 2000 just after he'd taken over power in Syria from his late father.

His wife, the disgraced First Lady, Asma al-Assad was also seen indulging in decadence and opulence as more than 300,000 Syrian civilians died with another 6.7 million displaced.

Asma al-Assad is battling an aggressive form of leukaemia called myeloid leukaemia, and doctors say she has a 50/50 chance of survival. She is currently undergoing treatment in Moscow.

Asma met Bashar al-Assad through family friends as a child, and the pair became reacquainted when Assad moved to London in 1992 to train as an ophthalmologist Western Eye Hospital.

What must Asma al-Assad be thinking right now? Bright, beautiful and British-born, she could be living an affluent life in England, with friends, family and a fine career, had she not sold her ...