Michael Schumacher attends first 'public' event since accident
Michael Schumacher has reportedly attended his daughter's wedding, making this his first public appearance in 11 years.
Gina Schumacher tied the knot with Iain Bethke at the family’s luxury villa in Mallorca over the weekend, and while Michael's attendance was previously unknown, several outlets have reported that he attended the special event.
The Formula 1 icon's wife, Corinna, has kept his condition private since his tragic skiing accident in 2013, with only an extremely small inner circle of people allowed to see him, therefore this marks the first time that Michael has been 'seen' by extended friends and family.
The Daily Mail reported that privacy was extremely tight at the event, with wedding guests required to leave their phones at the front door upon arrival.
The family also reportedly looked at hiring a large security team to keep photographers away.
The success of the event has reportedly raised hopes that the family will consider future opportunities for the Ferrari icon to be seen in public, with more people reportedly being let into the 'inner circle'.
Michael's son Mick, who has been dating 23-year-old Danish model Laila Hasanovic for two years, is reportedly engaged to her, and in January it was reported that she had been given approval to visit the F1 legend.
Updates on the former racer's health have been few and far between.
Late last year, Schumacher's former boss at Ferrari and close friend Jean Todt revealed: "He is simply not the Michael he used to be. He is different, and is wonderfully guided by his wife and children who protect him. His life is different now, and I have the privilege of sharing moments with him. That's all there is to say."
Corinna also spoke publicly about the accident and her decision to keep Michael's condition private in a 2021 Netflix documentary.
"'Private is private’, as he always said. It’s very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible,” she said.
“Michael always protected us and now we are protecting Michael. What he really didn’t like was the press, the people, all the hype around him. That’s not what he wanted. He wanted to do the sport," she continued.
In the documentary she also said: “I miss Michael every day.
“But it is not just me who misses him. It’s the children, the family, his father, everyone around him. I mean, everybody misses Michael, but Michael is here.
“Different, but he’s here, and that gives us strength. We’re together. We live together at home.”
Michael reportedly moved from his Swiss home to the exclusive Spanish villa where Gina's wedding was held in September 2020 according to the Spanish press.
According to The Sun, Michael spent much of his recent life at the $50 million villa, which is believed to have been adapted allowing a team of doctors and nurses to provide round-the-clock care.
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