Those are the words of Schumacher’s manager Sabine Kehm, who claims the Formula One legend was hindered in public exchanges because of his “meticulous” preparation from racing.
The 49-year-old suffered horrific head injuries during a family skiing holiday in the French Alps five years ago on December 29.
The seven time F1 champion has not been seen in public since and the family have only released a few details about his recovery.
Speaking on the fifth anniversary, Schumacher’s former spokesperson described him as being “faithful, reliable, dutiful and fact-driven.”
“With the same meticulousness he used to drive his professional development, he shielded his private side and his family from public life, consciously accepting that people were having a hard time meeting him,” Kehm said, speaking to German media Express.
Kehm also recalled how he told her “do I have to demonstratively show I have feelings to that they can be taken from me?”
She had previously revealed how Schumacher had a “secret dream” to disappear from public life.
Kehm claimed that early in his career, Schumacher was “insecure” and was consumed by the fear of making mistakes.
But the German national hero then developed into a confident man after analysing himself, both as a racing driver and a person.
Following his accident while skiing with his son, Mick, he was put into a medically induced coma and subsequently underwent two life-saving operations at Grenoble Hospital.
He was taken out from the coma in April the following year and was moved to a hospital in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Little was heard for a year and in April 2015 it was reported Schumacher was showing “moments of consciousness and awakening”.
And then a statement was then released three months later confirming he was no longer in a coma.