Syria's British-born first lady Asma al-Assad, 48, is diagnosed with leukaemia five years after beating breast cancer

Syria's British-born first lady, Asma al-Assad, has been diagnosed with leukaemia, the Syrian presidency said on Tuesday. The announcement came almost five years after the 48-year-old announced she had fully recovered from breast cancer Asma al-Assad, wife of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, casts her vote during the country's presidential elections in Douma, Syria, with her husband in this file photo taken in 2021 She runs the Syria Trust for Development, a large NGO that acts as an umbrella organisation for many of the aid and development operations in Syria. This photo from Aug 8, 2018 on the official Facebook page of the Syrian Presidency, shows Syrian President Bashar Assad sitting next to his wife Asma Assad with an IV in her left arm Asma al-Assad is seen with her hair covered while undergoing cancer treatment in 2018 Born in London, Asma - a former investment banker - styled herself as a progressive rights advocate and was seen as the modern side of the Assad dynasty In 2019, Asma announced that she was 'completely free' of breast cancer, a year after she was diagnosed with the disease The Assads have long worked to present themselves as modern, forward-looking leaders, even as Syria was convulsed by civil war that was ignited by a rebellion against the family's decades-long rule. Pictured: A neighbourhood in Aleppo is seen reduced to rubble in 2017 Syrian soldiers hold up Baath party flags and a portrait of Syrian President Bashar Assad with Arabic that reads 'Yes to the leader of victory,' as they celebrate outside the town of Douma, in the eastern Ghouta region, near the Syrian capital Damascus, May 26, 2021 Syrian First Lady Asma al-Assad is seen in a car in Paris on December 10, 2010 In a state TV interview at the time, she encouraged women to go for regular check-ups, saying that early detection of illnesses can be crucial in survival.