Formula One legend Michael Schumacher made his first public appearance for the first time in over a decade since his near-fatal skiing accident, as he attended his daughter's wedding in Spain recently, according to reports.
Schumacher, who has been guarded from view by his family since the horrific incident, was seen only by a few guests at Gina-Marie's wedding which took place at the sporting great's luxury villa in Mallorca last weekend.
Gina-Marie tied the knot with Iain Bethke at their holiday home which the Schumacher's purchased from Real Madrid chairman Florentino Perez in 2017.
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Limited access to F1 great
Michael Schumacher's wife Corinna has granted access only to family members and their 'inner circle'. He lives at their family home on the banks of Lake Geneva and keep flying over to the Mallorca villa as well.
Even his younger brother, former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher, was once blocked access to Michael but that changed after the wedding. It was recently reported that Michael's son Mick Schumacher's girlfriend was added to the inner circle by Corinna. Mick is dating Danish model Laila Hasanovic, who has reportedly managed to win Corinna's trust enough to be allowed to see Michael.
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Not the same Michael anymore
Last year, Michael's longtime friend and former Ferrari boss Jean Todt had revealed that he was "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."
The entire world has wanted an update on Michael, one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time, ever since he banged his head on a rock while skiing with Mick in the French Alps in 2013.
91 victories, seven world titles, and just one word to describe him…
Some of those that know Michael @schumacher best sum up the legend in just a single word. What word would you use?#KeepFightingMichael#Michael50pic.twitter.com/pkAjK5nGIR— Formula 1 (@F1) January 3, 2019
The devastating accident in the French Alps
Despite wearing a helmet, the experienced skier suffered a traumatic brain injury and would have certainly died had he not been wearing protective gear. He was airlifted to Grenoble Hospital where he underwent multiple surgeries before his wife built a state-of-the-art medical facility at their Switzerland mansion and shifted him there in 2014.
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Corinna explains why family is being guarded
Schumacher is believed to have been "paralysed and in a wheelchair" after the accident and has since been kept away from public view by Corinna. She finally explained the reason behind keeping her family guarded in a Netflix documentary on Michael in 2021.
"'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,” Corinna 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. Michael is very suspicious. He always has been, during the initial period. Until he thinks he knows someone or can trust them, then he opens up completely," Corinna said about her now-55-year-old husband.