Former Tunisian dictator Ben Ali's wife claims: 'I was a woman of the people' A US government cable revealed by WikiLeaks last year noted: "Seemingly half of the Tunisian business community can claim a Ben Ali connection through marriage, and many of these relations are reported to have made the most of their lineage. Ben Ali's wife, Leila Ben Ali, and her extended family - the Trabelsis - provoke the greatest ire from Tunisians. In the interview, she said she merely helped "those close to me to live better" but that they had all repaid their dues. "For example, I helped one of my brothers obtain a loan, but he paid it all back before dying," she claimed. What people forget is that I helped a lot of people I didn't know. God is my witness that I never wanted to harm anyone," she said. Mrs Ben Ali, 55, who fled the country with her husband in January last year, claimed that riots leading to her husband's overthrow were part of an "orchestrated coup d'état." "I don't believe at all in the scenario of a spontaneous revolution born from a youth protest," she said. She denied speculation that her husband was in poor health after reports of prostate cancer. "He's in excellent health and we are still a solid couple even if it displeases our detractors," she said. She read out a written note from her husband which said: "I deplore that people have forgotten that for 23 years the (Tunisian) state under my leadership considerably improved the lives of everyone and made Tunisia a modern country that many friendly states cite as an example." I nevertheless admit that there was room for progress and freedoms to put in place I only aspire, at the twilight of my existence, to keep my honour. When asked whether her husband had given orders to fire on protesters with real bullets, Mrs Ben Ali said: "Never."