Michael Schumacher’s close friend rubbishes claims the F1 icon attended his daughter’s wedding… insisting there is ‘no truth’ to the ‘fake news’
- Michael Schumacher is said to have attended his daughter’s wedding in September
- It is claimed that those on the small guest list were forced to hand over their phones
- A friend of the seven-time F1 champion has dismissed the claims as ‘fake news’
A close friend of Michael Schumacher has debunked claims that the Formula 1 legend appeared at his daughter’s wedding in September.
The F1 icon, who suffered a traumatic brain injury while skiing in Italy almost 11 years ago and has not been seen in public since, reportedly attended the wedding of Gina Schumacher, 27, and her boyfriend Iain Bethke at the luxury villa from the family in Mallorca, who bought it in 2017 for £27 million.
The reports, originating in Germany, claimed that Schumacher was ‘very likely’ present at the wedding and that those on the small guest list had been forced to hand in their phones to prevent images and videos from leaking to the press.
Schumacher’s close friend Johnny Herbert, who raced in Formula 1 between 1989 and 2000, has dismissed the reports and described them as ‘fake news’.
He told it Flashscore: ‘It will always remain a closed shop. The most recent rumor was that he attended his daughter’s wedding. Unfortunately, from what I understand, this was all fake news and there was no truth in it.”
The German, who still requires permanent medical care more than a decade after the tragic incident, initially spent several months in a medically induced coma before returning to his family home on Lake Geneva in September 2014.
A friend of Michael Schumacher has debunked claims he attended his daughter’s wedding
Guests’ phones were reportedly confiscated at the wedding between Schumacher’s daughter Gina and Iain Bethke – to prevent leaked images and videos from making it to the press
Johnny Herbert, who raced in F1 between 1989 and 2000, branded the claims ‘fake news’
Details of how Schumacher allegedly communicated at the wedding were revealed shortly after the initial story by German newspaper Bild.
Elisabetta Gregoraci, the ex-wife of former F1 team boss and QPR co-owner Flavio Briatore, had previously revealed how Schumacher communicates as he navigates his health battle.
“Michael doesn’t speak, he communicates with his eyes,” she said. ‘Only three people can visit him and I know who they are.
“They moved to Spain and his wife set up a hospital in that house.”
Claims that Schumacher cannot speak appeared to be supported by his son Mick during a 2021 Netflix documentary about his father’s life.
The 25-year-old driver said: “I think Dad and I would understand each other in a different way now.”
The last official update fans received about Schumacher’s condition was in 2023, when it was reported that the seven-time world champion had been driving a Mercedes AMG sports car in an attempt to stimulate parts of his brain that he once used for racing.
A neurosurgeon has also outlined how unlikely it is that Schumacher turned up at his daughter’s wedding, claiming his presence would pose many challenges.
Reports in Germany claimed it was ‘highly likely’ Formula 1 icon Schumacher was in attendance
Details have also been revealed about how Schumacher apparently communicated at the wedding
“If a hospital was built in his house, with everything around him medicalized, it looks like he was in the hospital most of the time,” Posti said in October.
‘Based on the information available, I don’t think he leads a very active life.
‘Everything indicates that he is not feeling well. As bedridden patients, most people become so weak and stiff that it is no longer possible to get them out of bed after so many years.”