Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel is taking a leave of absence from her role because of her husband’s ill-health.

Dalziel’s husband, well-known lawyer Rob Davidson and father of city councillor Mike Davidson, has been unwell with prostate cancer for some time.

“I am taking a leave of absence due to the state of my husband’s health and ask that our privacy be respected at this time,” Dalziel said in a statement released by Christchurch City Council on Friday.

“I will be making no further comment.”

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Deputy Mayor Andrew Turner will be acting mayor during Dalziel’s absence.

Davidson runs Riccarton law firm Davidson Legal and has been married to Dalziel since 2000.

She spoke publicly about his illness in December 2018 when she revealed the diagnosis had delayed her decision to run for a third term as mayor.

At the time she said he had responded well to treatment. “There is every reason to be confident we have many years ahead of us.”

Dalziel said Davidson was diagnosed with cancer a few weeks after a Cancer Society Ball that June.

“That did put a challenge in front of me,” she said when announcing her intention to run again.

“We really did have to focus on Rob. Rob’s responded really well to treatment, and we’re confident about his prospects and future.”

In a column for The Star, Dalziel said of her husband’s cancer: “Rob came back from overseas feeling unwell. He went to the doctor and began a barrage of tests.

“Finally a bone scan and a biopsy confirmed it was prostate cancer. It came as a big shock.

“I haven’t talked publicly before now, because the question from the media since July is whether I’m going to run for mayor again. As I’m sure you will understand, this has required additional thought.”

Dalziel became Christchurch’s mayor in 2013 after spending 23 years as a Labour MP in the city, during which time she was both commerce and immigration minister under prime minister Helen Clark.