Racing legend Michael Schumacher has been away from the public gaze since his devastating skiing accident in December 2013. The Formula 1 legend's family has been resolute in maintaining his privacy since then, with only scant details of his condition being made public over time.
This week, however, it was disclosed that Schumacher is "completely dependant" on his caregivers and "can no longer express himself verbally", according to Felix Gorner, a journalist for German broadcaster RTL. "The situation is very sad," said Gorner, noting access to Schumacher is limited to around 20 individuals, a measure taken by the family to safeguard his privacy.
Despite the tight-lipped approach, some members of Schumacher's close network have occasionally provided insights into his health. And Wales Online has explored what those near to him have shared about his current state and the care he receives.
Corinna Schumacher
Corinna Schumacher has been a pillar in the effort to protect her husband's privacy. Nevertheless, she gave a glimpse into his condition in the 2021 Netflix documentary, 'Schumacher'.
"Michael is here. Different, but he's here, and that gives us strength, I find," she said. "We live together at home. We do therapy. We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he's comfortable, and to simply make him feel our family, our bond. And no matter what, I will do everything I can. We all will.
"We're trying to carry on as a family, the way Michael liked it and still does. And we are getting on with our lives. '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.
"Michael always protected us and now we are protecting Michael. I miss Michael every day. But it's not just me who misses him. It's the children, the family, his father, everyone around him."
Mick Schumacher
Michael's only son, Mick, followed in his father's prestigious F1 footsteps between 2021 and 2022. But the legacy driver has seldom discussed the grievous event or his dad's condition. However, in a poignant confession in 2022, Mick said: "I would give anything to talk to dad."
Having been skiing with his father during the fateful 2013 incident, Mick was just 14 when tragedy struck. He once said: "I started racing in the Formula classes the year after and from that point onwards, I had to find my own feet."
Jean Todt
Jean Todt served as Ferrari team principal during Schumacher's most triumphant days and is among the most trusted individuals by the Schumacher family. He's a regular visitor and claims to still watch F1 races alongside Michael.
In an interview with German broadcaster NTV in 2022, Todt said: "I don't miss Michael. I can see him. But of course, what I miss is what we used to do together." He also confirmed: "Yes, it's 'true' - I watch [F1] races with Michael."
More recently, Todt spoke to French sports newspaper L'Equipe and gave insight into Schumacher's state: "He is simply not the Michael he used to be." He elaborated on his condition by adding: "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."
Their relationship has remained close over the years, but Todt doesn't shy away from the harsh reality: "That's all there is to say. Unfortunately, fate struck him 10 years ago. He is no longer the Michael we knew in Formula 1.
"People ask so much about Michael. The fans should know that he is in the best of hands. In the best situation he can be and surrounded by people who love him."
Ralf Schumacher
Meanwhile, Michael's brother, Ralf, sometimes discusses Michael's health. Sharing a tempered perspective with Bild, he once noted: "Fortunately, advanced medical science provides many opportunities. However, nothing is like it used to be."
In a moving 2023 interview, Ralf - who was also an F1 driver - opened up about the emotional distance that grew between him and Michael's family after the devastating accident. Speaking with German publication Bunte, he said: "When I see his children Gina-Maria and Mick, my heart smiles. If someone in the family is looking for my advice, I'm there. They go their own way.
"I miss the Michael of the old days. Life is unfair from time to time. Michael was very lucky throughout his life. But then there was this tragic accident. Michael wasn't only my brother. When we were kids, he was also my coach and mentor. He taught me literally everything about kart racing."
Johnny Herbert
Former F1 star Johnny Herbert, who once shared the track with Schumacher as team-mates, spoke about the icon's current condition based on conversations within the motorsport community. Speaking to BettingSites.co.uk, he said: "I hear, from those within F1, he does sit at the table for dinner but I don't know if that is true."
Herbert has also noted the Schumacher family's preference for privacy: "We haven't heard much from the family and understandably so. That has always been very much a part of Michael and the family's way to keep everything very private, very secretive.
"In my opinion, and I must stress this, because we haven't heard anything from the family, it shows that unfortunately he is probably in the similar situation as he was straight after the accident."
Reports have surfaced from Germany suggesting that Schumacher was present at the nuptials of his daughter, Gina-Maria, and Iain Bethke. It's been alleged there was a requirement for guests to leave their mobiles at the door, preventing any photographs of Michael.
Yet, these claims were firmly dismissed by Herbert during a discussion with Flashscore: "It will always be a closed shop. The most recent rumour was he attended his daughter's wedding. Unfortunately, from what I understand that was all A1 fake news and no truth in it."
Roger Benoit
Journalist Roger Benoit is one of the select few permitted into Schumacher's close network, who delivered a poignant update early this year. When asked by Blick if there was any hope of recovery, the friend of the family remarked simply: "No.
"There is only one answer to this question and that is what his son Mick gave in one of his rare interviews in 2022: 'I would give anything to talk to dad.' This sentence says everything about how his father has been doing for over 3,500 days. A case without hope."
Philippe Streiff
Further commentary on Schumacher's condition came from former racing peer Philippe Streiff. It was almost a year after Schumacher's mishap that Streiff said the German was paralysed and bound to a wheelchair, though his assertion remains unverified.
Subsequently, French publication Paris Match quoted a conversation with an unnamed relative, which read: "When you put him in his wheelchair facing the beautiful panorama of the mountains overlooking the lake [Lake Geneva, near the family home], Michael sometimes cries.
"He is getting better but everything is relative. It's very difficult. He can't speak. Like me, he is in a wheelchair paralysed. He has memory problems and speech problems."
Gary Hartstein
Former F1 trackside doctor Gary Hartstein once said Schumacher may have been conscious and talking immediately after the skiing accident. It was his theory that Schumacher's condition will have worsened as his injury settled.
He told Sky News at the time: "It's quite well known that extradural haematomas, a kind of cerebral haemorrhage, can leave a lucid interval after injury. Then as the haematoma forms, the increase in pressure causes sudden and dramatic symptoms. Pressure must be relieved rapidly."
Elisabetta Gregoraci
Elisabetta Gregoraci, the ex-wife of former F1 team boss Flavio Briatore, told Spanish press in 2020: "Michael doesn't speak, he communicates with his eyes. Only three people can visit him and I know who they are."
In additional comments made on the Italian version of Big Brother, she said: "They moved to Spain and his wife has set up a hospital in that house."
