It is no secret that former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his former deputy Anwar Ibrahim have a long history between them. 

The fact that their wives - Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali and Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, share a special bond, is however, little known. 

In an interview with 'Keluarga' magazine in conjunction with Mother's Day, Siti Hasmah revealed that it was her late older sister, Saleha Mohd Ali, who had played matchmaker to Anwar and Wan Azizah. 

According to Siti Hasmah, Wan Azizah was a young doctor at the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital who attended to her brother-in-law, who Siti Hasmah referred to as 'Abang Zain'.

Anwar, who was friend of Siti Hasmah's older sister, used to visit the latter's husband at the hospital often. It was then he met Wan Azizah and took interest in her. 

"My sister and Osman Awang then represented him (Anwar) to meet her (Wan Azizah's) parents and asked for her hand in marriage,” Siti Hasmah recalled. 

Wan Azizah’s tips for healthy living 

Wan Azizah, meanwhile, shared tips and secrets of maintaining her health at the age of 65. 

Among others, the Permatang Pauh MP quipped that Anwar used to joke about marrying a second wife if she was to lose her figure. 

“My husband used to jokingly say, if I ever get fat, he will find another wife. 

“So I believe that every husband wants a wife who can take care of her appearance,” she said. 

At the same time, she also admitted that it would be difficult to maintain a perfect appearance after spending full days with the children. 

“While the husbands are outside, they always see beautiful women. So if this is the situation, husband and wife is a unit who needs to work together and ensure a harmonious relationship,”  she said. 

In terms of her diet, the mother of six said she would avoid consuming any food that she is uncertain of its halal status. 

“Because even if I accidentally ate a little bit, I will get very sick. So I am very cautious about any food I eat,” she added. 

In November last year, Siti Hasmah paid a visit to Wan Azizah at the PKR president’s house in Segambut, two months after their husbands' historical handshake in court, for the first time in 16 years. 

Their reunion also came at a time when Mahathir joined the ranks of opposition leaders in his capacity as Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia chairperson.