Michael Schumacher’s wife, Corinna, has opened up about her husband’s condition for the first time since his near-fatal skiing accident eight years ago, saying the F1 legend is ‘different’ in his manner.
The German icon suffered a serious brain injury whilst skiing in the French resort of Meribel in December 2013, which forced him into a medically-induced coma for six months until June 2014.
Since then, Schumacher has stayed away from public life since being relocated to his home to undergo rehabilitation, with his family protecting his privacy and any details of his health for nearly eight years.
Now, the Formula One legend’s spouse has revealed on the Netflix documentary ‘SCHUMACHER’ that she misses her husband on a daily basis due to how different he has become since the accident.
‘I miss Michael every day,’ she said on the documentary. ‘But Michael is here – different, but here. He still shows me how strong he is every day.’
Corinna, 52, has also rued the bad luck handed to her husband regarding the accident, after believing he was invincible after coming through his Formula One career unscathed.
‘We’d always made it through his races safely,’ she added. ‘Which is why I was certain he had a few guardian angels that were keeping an eye out for him.
‘I don’t know if it’s just a kind of protective wall that you put up yourself or if it’s because you’re in a way naive – but it simply never occurred to me that anything could ever happen to Michael.
The wife of Formula One legend Michael Schumacher (right), Corinna (left), has given a rare update of her husband’s condition
The German F1 icon was involved in a near-fatal skiing accident in France in December 2013 which left him in a medically-induced coma until June 2014
‘I never blamed God for why this happened now. It (the accident) was just really bad luck – all the bad luck anyone could ever have in their life.’
Schumacher’s wife also also updated the world on how the former F1 driver’s family are coping following the serious incident eight years ago. She admitted that the family are going through therapy but will continue to keep Michael in a private environment.
‘We are trying to carry on as a family, the way Michael liked it and still does. We live together at home. We do therapy. We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he’s comfortable.
‘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, now we are protecting Michael.’
Corinna (above, pictured in 2019) says Michael is ‘different but here’ as he continues his recovery
Schumacher’s wife has kept details of her husband’s condition private until now
Schumacher is considered by many as the sport’s greatest ever having won seven championship titles. It was revealed in July that Netflix has purchased the rights to air a brand new documentary into the life of the 52-year-old former racing driver.
The documentary will include interviews with Schumacher’s family, including his wife, father Rolf and brother Ralf. His two children, Gina and Mick, who is now in Formula One driving for Haas, is interviewed as well as motorsport figures such as Jean Todt, Bernie Ecclestone, Sebastian Vettel, Mika Häkkinen, Damon Hill, Flavio Briatore and David Coulthard.
Filmmakers, through the support of the family, will also be able to share never-before-seen archive material. It will be released on the streaming service on September 15.
Corinna’s update on her husband’s condition is the first news of the driver’s health since former Ferrari boss, Jean Todt, discussed his state in May of this year, saying ‘The beauty of what have experienced is part of us and it goes on.’
A rare insight into Schumacher’s private life will be revealed in a Netflix documentary released on September 15
Corinna and Michael (both pictured in documentary footage) have been married since August 1995
He added : ‘I don’t leave him alone. Him, [his wife] Corinna, the family – we’ve had so many experiences together.’
The update followed Todt’s previous account of Schumacher’s state in September of last year, where he praised the work done by Corinna, who has been married to Michael since August 1995.
He told Bild: ‘I’ve spent a lot of time with Corinna since Michael had his serious skiing accident on December 29, 2013. She is a great woman and runs the family.
‘She hadn’t expected that. It happened suddenly and she had no choice. But she does it very well. I trust her, she trusts me.
‘Thanks to the work of his doctors and the cooperation of Corinna, who wanted him to survive, he survived – but with consequences.’
More to follow.