Syria’s UK-born first lady, Asma al-Asad, says she is free of breast cancer

The Syrian presidency announced last August that the 44-year-old first lady had begun treatment for breast cancer

Since then, photos of her, thin and wearing a headscarf, have regularly been shared on the Syrian presidency’s social media accounts

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This photo released on the official Facebook page of the Syrian presidency, shows Syria's first lady Asma al-Assad. Photo: AP

Published: 1:10am, 5 Aug 2019Updated: 1:39am, 5 Aug 2019

The wife of Syria’s president said she is “completely” free of breast cancer a year after her diagnosis, in an interview with state TV.

The half-hour interview, aired late Saturday, was Asma al-Assad’s first since she was diagnosed – a rare declaration in the Arab world, where prominent figures often conceal their ailments.

It was also designed to portray a modern attitude in a region where cancer remains a taboo.

Assad sat for the interview in a lush green garden, wearing a white dress with embroidered flowers. She described cancer as a “test” for her and her family and said she wanted to be a role model for Syrians in dealing with adversities.

Asma al-Assad hooked up to a drip, smiling and sitting next to her husband, in a hospital room. File photo: Handout

Assad, born in the United Kingdom in 1975, sported a short blonde bob and flashed wide smiles, speaking softly but assuredly.

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