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.

Assad, the wife of then-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. It was titled "A Rose in the Desert," and in the words of Joan Juliet Buck, the writer, Asma was "the freshest and most magnetic of first ladies".

Asma al-Assad grew up in Acton, west London and, after attending a private girls' school, graduated from King's College London with a Bachelor's Degree in computer science and French literature

Assad, the British-born wife of deposed Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, has filed for divorce. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov addressed the claims during a press conference, stating, “No, they do not correspond to reality.

Kremlin also denies that UK-born 'Desert Rose' requested to leave Moscow, where the Assad family fled as rebels took Damascus

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.