Actress Nadia Fares dies aged 57 after being found unconscious in swimming pool of French gym as her daughters pay tribute to 'a great artist and mother'

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Actress Nadia Fares has died aged 57 after she was discovered unconscious in a pool at a luxury gym last week.

The star had been in a coma since the incident, which took place at a high-profile club in the Blanche and Montmartre area of Paris on April 11.

She suffered a cardiac arrest and died on Friday. 

Her daughters Cylia and Shana Chasman announced her passing, saying: 'It is with immense sadness that we announce the passing of Nadia Farès this Friday.

'France has lost a great artist, but for us, it is above all a mother we have just lost.'

It is reported Fares had been swimming laps before she lost consciousness.

She was found in a yoga position at the bottom of the pool, according to the prosecutor's office.

Another swimmer started CPR in an effort to revive her, before emergency services arrived.

Fares was taken to Pitie-Salpetriere hospital and placed in a medically induced coma.

She is survived by her two daughters, who she shared with her ex-husband, American producer Steve Chasman. 

The pair married in 2002 but separated four years ago.

She previously said: 'By following my husband to Los Angeles, I really needed to build a family of my own, to devote all my time to it.'

Fares had recently returned to France after living in the US.

She was due to direct her first film later this year.

Previously sharing her excitement, Fares told Gala in January: 'Through hard work, questioning and stubbornness, I found a great team, we are working together on an action comedy with Studios TF1.' 

In 2007, Fares underwent brain surgery for an aneurysm, which she described as a 'time bomb that needed to be treated urgently'.

She also previously revealed how she had three heart operations within four years. 

She first rose to international prominence in 2001, thanks to her leading role in thriller The Crimson River. 

Born in Morocco, she moved with her family to the south of France when she was a young child.

Fares landed her first TV projects in the 90s and she became mainstream for her role in 'Elles n'oublient jamais' (They Never Forget).

She played a mistress of a married man in the steamy show, which saw him become convinced she was having her own affair.

In 2016, Fares starred as Vanessa d'Abrantes in Netflix's Marseille.