Details of how Michael Schumacher communicates emerged after the F1 legend appeared in public at his daughter’s wedding last weekend.
Gina Schumacher, 27, married her boyfriend Iain Bethke at the family’s luxury villa in Mallorca, which they bought for £27million in 2017.
Guests were reportedly banned from bringing their phones to the wedding amid reports that the seven-time F1 champion was present.
The 55-year-old has been virtually missing from public life since his life-changing 2013 skiing incident that left him in a devastating coma.
A statement issued almost a year after the accident told fans that he was no longer in a coma and was “continuing a long phase of rehabilitation,” but few details of his condition have since been revealed.
Formula 1 legend Michael Schumer, 55, who suffered a life-changing ski accident in 2013, was seen in public for the first time in more than a decade at his daughter’s wedding in Spain.
A file image dated January 11, 2000 shows German Ferrari Formula One driver Schumacher making a turn while skiing in the Italian resort of Madonna di Campiglio, Italy.
Guests reportedly had their phones confiscated at the wedding between Schumacher’s daughter Gina and Iain Bethke.
The Schumacher family did not want photographs of the interior of their luxurious Villa in Mallorca to be leaked
Former Formula 1 team boss and ex-wife of former QPR co-owner Flavio Briatore, Elisabetta Gregoraci, had previously revealed how Schumacher communicates amid his health battle.
“Michael doesn’t talk, he communicates with his eyes,” she said. “Only three people can visit it and I know who they are.”
“They moved to Spain and his wife has set up a hospital in that house.”
Spanish newspapers reported in 2020 that Schumacher had been moved more permanently to the exclusive property at the luxury Las Brisas estate, near Andratx, southwest Mallorca, from the couple’s Swiss home.
Rumors that Schumacher cannot speak were backed up by his son, Mick, during a 2021 Netflix documentary about his father’s life. He said: “I think dad and I would understand each other in a different way now.”
The effects of a traumatic brain injury depend on a number of factors, such as the type, location and severity of the injury, says brain injury charity Headway.
He adds that the symptoms of a brain injury are very varied, from physical effects such as balance problems, headaches and dizziness, to cognitive, emotional and behavioral effects. This can include memory problems, fatigue, and anger.
The last proper update fans received was in 2023, when Schumacher was reported to have driven a Mercedes AMG sports car in a bid to stimulate areas of his brain he once used for racing.
Jean Todt, pictured with Schumacher in 2007, was Ferrari team principal when the F1 ace won five consecutive world titles between 2000 and 2004, and has spoken several times about his recovery.
Schumacher is one of the most successful F1 drivers of all time, winning seven world titles.
Former Ferrari boss Jean Todt has spoken several times about his recovery since the accident.
In an interview with a French magazine late last year, she said: “Michael is here, so I don’t miss him.” (But he) just isn’t 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. Unfortunately, fate struck him ten years ago. “He is no longer the Michael we knew in Formula One.”
On December 29, 2013, Schumacher’s life was quickly altered by the tragic accident while on a family vacation in the French Alps.
He fell meters from a popular ski slope and suffered serious head injuries.
Deciding to go off the trail, Schumer did not realize that there were some rocks hidden from view by the snow.
His skis hit one of those rocks and the sudden force catapulted him into the air, leaving him unable to avoid a head-on collision with another rock.
He fractured his skull and was left with a brain injury.
Ski patrollers and a helicopter rescue team arrived at the scene within minutes, and witnesses claimed that Schumacher was conscious after the crash but was unable to answer questions and was moving erratically.
Schumacher in 2005 with his wife Corinna, who cares for him at their home in Lake Geneva.
Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, the rescue team quickly immobilized him and transported him to the nearby Moutiers hospital, where he arrived at 11:53 a.m.
From there, a helicopter took him to Grenoble University Hospital Center, a major medical center equipped with a specialized neurosurgery unit, for two surgeries that saved his life and reduced pressure on his brain.
A subsequent investigation determined that Schumacher was traveling at a normal speed and not skiing beyond his capabilities at the time of the accident.
But his injuries, which would almost certainly have been fatal had the former driver not been wearing a helmet, are believed to have been aggravated by a motorcycle accident in February 2009 in which he suffered fractures to his head and neck.
He then spent six months in a coma to aid his recovery and did not return to his family home in Switzerland until nine months after the accident.
The medical professionals and his wife are believed to provide 24-hour care.