Formula One legend Michael Schumacher, who was injured in a horrific ski accident 12 years ago, is no longer bedridden, the Daily Mail can reveal.

The 57-year-old German’s slow recovery has remained a fiercely guarded secret, known only to close family and a handful of trusted friends.

But in exclusive revelations on Daily Mail+, sources close to him say he is now sitting up in a wheelchair and can be pushed around his £30million estate in Majorca and his £50million residence at Gland, on the shores of Lake Geneva.

He is cared for by Corinna, his wife of 30 years, along with a team of nurses and therapists who keep a 24-hour watch costing tens of thousands of pounds a week.

Schumacher’s privacy is seen as paramount. Ever since the brain damage he sustained after crashing into rocks near the French Alps resort of Meribel, he has been kept out of the public eye.

Michael Schumacher is cared for by Corinna, his wife of 30 years, and is not bedridden

Michael and Corinna are pictured skiing a year before his crash on the slopes in the Alps

Rarely seen F1 legend flies to Switzerland to meet his first grandchild

Attempts by some former staff members to sell images of him in his distressed state resulted in their convictions last year. And reports that he would be attending the 2024 marriage of his daughter Gina proved without foundation.

One rumour speculated that the man dubbed the first billionaire sportsman was suffering from pseudocoma, or locked-in syndrome – a condition in which patients are conscious and fully aware but unable to respond other than by blinking. However, several sources have confirmed that even this bleak state is inaccurate.

‘The feeling is he understands some of the things going on around him, but probably not all of them,’ said one.

Join the debate

Should the Schumacher family’s level of secrecy about his condition be respected or challenged?

Formula One legend Michael Schumacher, who was injured in a horrific ski accident 12 years ago, is no longer bedridden, the Daily Mail can reveal.

The 57-year-old German’s slow recovery has remained a fiercely guarded secret, known only to close family and a handful of trusted friends.

But in exclusive revelations on Daily Mail+, sources close to him say he is now sitting up in a wheelchair and can be pushed around his £30million estate in Majorca and his £50million residence at Gland, on the shores of Lake Geneva.

He is cared for by Corinna, his wife of 30 years, along with a team of nurses and therapists who keep a 24-hour watch costing tens of thousands of pounds a week.

Schumacher’s privacy is seen as paramount. Ever since the brain damage he sustained after crashing into rocks near the French Alps resort of Meribel, he has been kept out of the public eye.

Michael Schumacher is cared for by Corinna, his wife of 30 years, and is not bedridden

Michael and Corinna are pictured skiing a year before his crash on the slopes in the Alps

Rarely seen F1 legend flies to Switzerland to meet his first grandchild

Attempts by some former staff members to sell images of him in his distressed state resulted in their convictions last year. And reports that he would be attending the 2024 marriage of his daughter Gina proved without foundation.

One rumour speculated that the man dubbed the first billionaire sportsman was suffering from pseudocoma, or locked-in syndrome – a condition in which patients are conscious and fully aware but unable to respond other than by blinking. However, several sources have confirmed that even this bleak state is inaccurate.

‘The feeling is he understands some of the things going on around him, but probably not all of them,’ said one.

Join the debate

Should the Schumacher family’s level of secrecy about his condition be respected or challenged?

Formula One legend Michael Schumacher, who was injured in a horrific ski accident 12 years ago, is no longer bedridden, the Daily Mail can reveal.

The 57-year-old German’s slow recovery has remained a fiercely guarded secret, known only to close family and a handful of trusted friends.

But in exclusive revelations on Daily Mail+, sources close to him say he is now sitting up in a wheelchair and can be pushed around his £30million estate in Majorca and his £50million residence at Gland, on the shores of Lake Geneva.

He is cared for by Corinna, his wife of 30 years, along with a team of nurses and therapists who keep a 24-hour watch costing tens of thousands of pounds a week.

Schumacher’s privacy is seen as paramount. Ever since the brain damage he sustained after crashing into rocks near the French Alps resort of Meribel, he has been kept out of the public eye.

Michael Schumacher is cared for by Corinna, his wife of 30 years, and is not bedridden

Michael and Corinna are pictured skiing a year before his crash on the slopes in the Alps

Rarely seen F1 legend flies to Switzerland to meet his first grandchild

Attempts by some former staff members to sell images of him in his distressed state resulted in their convictions last year. And reports that he would be attending the 2024 marriage of his daughter Gina proved without foundation.

One rumour speculated that the man dubbed the first billionaire sportsman was suffering from pseudocoma, or locked-in syndrome – a condition in which patients are conscious and fully aware but unable to respond other than by blinking. However, several sources have confirmed that even this bleak state is inaccurate.

‘The feeling is he understands some of the things going on around him, but probably not all of them,’ said one.

Join the debate

Should the Schumacher family’s level of secrecy about his condition be respected or challenged?