Max George has revealed he was fitted with a pacemaker after undergoing heart surgery which lasted 2.5 hours.
The Wanted star, 36, who has been in hospital for a week with a 2:1 atrioventricular block and is awaiting a pacemaker, shared a photo of his new scar, which lies next to a ‘special tattoo’.
Atrioventricular block is a condition that occurs when electrical impulses are delayed or blocked from reaching the ventricles.
Max previously revealed he would have to undergo surgery sooner than expected because his heart rate ‘hasn’t increased’.
Now he has shared an update with his Instagram followers following his surgery, revealing that some of his veins collapsed during the operation, causing ‘problems’.
Max said, ‘Say hello to my little friend! Considering the past ten days, this is the best Christmas present I could have ever asked for.
Max George has revealed he was fitted with a pacemaker during a terrifying two-and-a-half-hour heart operation
The Wanted star, 36, who has been in hospital for a week with a 2:1 atrioventricular block and is awaiting a pacemaker, shared a photo of his new scar, which lies next to a ‘special tattoo’
‘Pacemaker is in. The operation took about two and a half hours. The main problem was that some of my veins had collapsed where the wires were supposed to go… But the surgeons and nurses in the NHS were incredible. I owe everything to them.
‘The surgeon was kind enough to place my pacemaker just below a very special tattoo of mine. So I’m sure it’s well taken care of.”
A pacemaker is a small battery-powered device that prevents the heart from beating too slowly.
Max added: ‘Still a few more tests to do due to inflamed lymph nodes on my lungs, but it will be easy work!
‘Time to rest and then tackle life fully again Thank you for all your support. It has meant a lot to myself and my family.’
Earlier in the day, the singer appeared exhausted as he spoke to his followers and told them he would soon be wheeled into the theater.
‘I’m preparing for the operation now, I’m looking forward to it, but fingers crossed.’
It comes just 24 hours after Max shared a photo of himself being given medication as medics prepared him for surgery.
Now Max has shared an update after his surgery: ‘Say hello to my little friend! Considering the past ten days, this is the best Christmas present I could have ever asked for’
He previously revealed he would undergo surgery sooner than expected because his heart rate ‘hasn’t increased’
It comes just 24 hours after Max shared a photo of himself receiving medication ahead of surgery
The cause of his illness is a ‘mystery’ and Max, who has battled alcoholism in the past, previously said: ‘We canceled a few things, like alcohol for example. -six months, so that’s not it’.
It was revealed that his girlfriend Maisie Smith is struggling to juggle appearing in a pantomime with seeing him – who is ‘on her mind 24/7’.
An insider told The Sun: ‘It has been a very worrying and upsetting time for Max and Maisie.
‘All she wants is to be at his bedside day and night, but she is dedicated to her panto show and doesn’t want to let anyone down.
‘She has done her best to be able to visit him when hospital visiting hours allow, but it has been a struggle to juggle everything.
‘Max is in her thoughts 24/7 and she especially wants him to get better as quickly as possible.’
A representative for Maisie declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline.
Also from his hospital bed, Max also shared a sweet Instagram post this week wishing his mother Barbara a happy birthday.
Shortly after the singer’s health problems came to light, his mother told MailOnline: “We’re beside ourselves but we’re keeping our fingers crossed.”
And now, in an emotional post for her birthday, he wrote: ‘Happy Birthday Mom!! I don’t know what I would do without you. I love you MTTW. Maximum xxx.’
He included a family photo of himself and his mother posing with his girlfriend Maisie Smith, 23, and older brother Jack.
Outside her home in Swinton last week, Barbara told MailOnline: ‘Max is currently in hospital and is being very well cared for.
‘I took him to A&E this week where he was examined. He’s in the best place he can be right now.
‘He is very grateful for all the well wishes from his fans and he also has all his friends and family around him.’
Max got a boost ahead of his surgery when he was visited by his girlfriend Maisie Smith, who was said to be ‘very concerned’ (pictured in 2023)
Also from his hospital bed, Max also shared a sweet Instagram post this week wishing his mother Barbara a happy birthday
It comes after Max begged his heart monitor to work harder before it appeared to switch off, as he shared a new video from his hospital bed last Sunday.
He shared a new video of himself lying in bed as he watched his hand-held heart rate monitor move from 35 to 34 to 38 before wagging his finger and pleading, “Go up!”
The number then dropped to 37 and the star suggested he was looking for some excitement to help get his heart rate up.
He wrote: ‘Come on @mancity.. Find me out, will you?!’
The device then seemed to turn itself off, causing Max to exhale, “Brilliant.”
Speaking of his pacemaker and pointing to his chest, he said, “So the latest thing is I’m 100 percent going to have a little friend put in here at some point.
‘Um, I have a problem with the lower part of my heart, it’s called a blockage. The tricky part is what I put in there because until I have further tests we don’t know what caused it.’
The Glad You Came hitmaker noted that what happened to him is all a ‘mystery’, although doctors have been able to eliminate some possible causes.
Max said: ‘It’s a bit of a mystery really, but that’s the hard part. It’s the waiting. My heart rate is really low. They keep an eye on it 24/7, everyone has been great.
‘But the waiting is hard. Unfortunately, it’s just one of those things. Whatever I get, I have to keep doing it. We hope that a pacemaker is a good pacemaker.’
In his first post on Instagram, Max revealed he will be spending Christmas in hospital.
He wrote on Instagram: ‘Yesterday I felt very unwell and was taken to hospital. Unfortunately, after some tests they discovered that I have problems with my heart.
Outside her home in Swinton last week, Barbara told MailOnline: ‘Max is currently in hospital and he is being very well cared for.’
‘I have many more tests to determine the extent of the problems and what surgery I will need to get back on my feet.
‘It’s going to be a tough few weeks/months… and Christmas in a hospital bed wasn’t exactly what I had planned!
‘But as always, I am surrounded by love and support from my amazing partner Maisie, her family, my family and friends… and I am 100% in the best place.
‘While this is a huge shock and undoubtedly a setback, it is something I will face with everything I have! I consider myself very lucky that this was caught when it did.
‘Apologies if I bore you with updates in the coming weeks. I’ve probably been in bed for a month and there’s not much to do!’