Friend gives telling reply to Michael Schumacher health question

A close friend’s response to a poignant question about Michael Schumacher’s condition has painted a picture of the F1 icon’s life.

Michael Schumacher is still “fighting” eight years on from his life-changing ski crash, his close friend and former Ferrari confidante Jean Todt has revealed.

In a rare health update, the FIA president and former Ferrari boss said “we can only hope” the F1 legend improves as he continues to stay out of the public eye.

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The Sun reports Todt last saw the stricken hero on October 18 last month. He is one of the few people allowed to visit the German at his secluded home in Switzerland, which he shares with wife Corinna on the banks of Lake Geneva.

“I can understand why his family and friends are protecting him because we should leave him in peace,” Todt told the Mail on Sunday.

“Michael is fighting, he is fighting and we can only hope that he will improve.”

Schumacher suffered a head injury after a skiing accident in the French Alps in December 2013. He fell and hit his head on a rock while crossing an off-piste area in Meribel and was injured despite wearing a ski helmet.

The sports icon, who was 44 at the time, was taken to hospital and put into a medically induced coma after suffering what was described as a “traumatic brain injury”. The public has not seen him since.

Todt was by Schumacher’s side as he won multiple world championships with Ferrari. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Schumacher’s son Mick has since gone on to follow in his dad’s footsteps, with the 22-year-old previously speaking of his pride at bringing back his dad’s surname to F1.

Todt added: “I am happy that his son Mick is in Formula One.

“He is doing well. He could have a more competitive car but I am pleased he has this passion.”

Todt said he stays “quite a long while” during his visits to Schumacher’s home in Switzerland and will have dinner with Corinna if she is there.

If not, he said: “I spend time with Michael, but ...”

When asked by the Mail whether Schumacher recognises him during his visits, Todt’s reply was telling as he reportedly gave a shrug, a smile and a hand gesture — but no answer.

In a 2019 update, Schumacher was reported to be making “good progress” but also “struggling to communicate”. His wife and kids have since been part of a Netflix documentary about the star, with Corinna describing her husband as “somebody special”.

Corinna has defended her husband’s privacy since the accident. (Photo by Getty Images)

Corinna has been fiercely protective of her husband since the accident and revealed how the family have dealt with the traumatic situation over the past eight years.

“Michael is here. Different, but he’s here, and that gives us strength, I find,” Corinna said in the documentary.

“We’re together. We live together at home. We do therapy. We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he’s comfortable. And to simply make him feel our family, our bond.

“And no matter what, I will do everything I can. We all will.

“We’re trying to carry on as a family, the way Michael liked it and still does. And 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 and now we are protecting Michael.”

This story first appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission