The Wanted star Max George, 36, reveals he will be spending Christmas in hospital to undergo heart surgery as he admits he’s ‘very lucky that this was caught when it was’

Max George has revealed he will spend Christmas in hospital to undergo heart surgery, he told fans on Thursday.

The Wanter singer, 36, who has previously battled alcoholism, admitted he was ‘very lucky this was noticed when it was’ as he shared the shocking health scare.

Max has not disclosed which condition he suffers from.

He wrote: ‘Hey everyone, Yesterday I felt very unwell and was taken to hospital. Unfortunately, after some tests they discovered that I have problems with my heart.

‘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 with love and support by my amazing partner Maisie, her family, my family and friends… and I am 100% in the best place.

The Wanter singer admitted he was ‘very lucky this was noticed when it was’ as he shared the shocking health update

‘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 happened.

‘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!

‘Let’s do this! Lots of love, Max x’

Max has been open about his battle with binge drinking and alcoholism over the years, previously admitting to drinking ‘ten pints and three bottles of wine in one night’.

Last year, the singer revealed he turned to alcohol to adapt to the spotlight and ease his anxiety during his “all-time low.”

He referred to an incident where he drank ten pints and three bottles of wine in one evening while celebrating his birthday.

The binge contained approximately 38 units of alcohol. The NHS recommends that men and women consume no more than 14 units per week.

Speaking about his drinking on Channel 4’s Scared Of The Dark, he said: ‘I would always get bullied before we performed. I had trouble adjusting, so I drank to make myself feel like it wasn’t bothering me.

“It’s sometimes quite difficult to distinguish between anxiety and depression, but mine was definitely more the anxiety side that started when the boys went number one with All Time Low.”

Referring to his birthday binge session, he confessed: “I was sick for a week. The doctor looked at my liver and said my liver count was quite low, I don’t mess with my liver. So I stopped.’

He added that he was also inspired to quit drinking after learning of late bandmate Tom Parker’s stage four glioblastoma diagnosis.

Tom died on March 30, 2022, aged 33, after an 18-month battle with brain cancer.

Bursting into tears, he confessed to Paul: ‘How do you deal with it? There’s no cure for that, so you just learn to get on with your life, I guess. But dealing with it, certainly not.

“I don’t…I don’t think I’ll ever be okay with it, you know. One of the last things I said to him was, I thanked him for making my life so much better than it could ever have been, you know, like that whole journey of being in the band.

‘He was my best friend. F**k. I just don’t want it to be a burden or a problem for anyone else.”

Max previously revealed that sobriety has made life clearer, despite being ‘really bored at the weekend’.

He said in March last year: ‘I haven’t had a drink in 18 months, everyone says: ‘I bet you feel better, don’t you?’

‘No, I’m just really bored at the weekend! Just grim as usual during the week. It was good, it’s easier to keep fit… so yeah, everything is pretty clear now.”

If you are concerned about your or someone else’s drinking, call Drinkline toll-free on 0300 123 1110 (weekdays 9am to 8pm, weekends 11am to 4pm).