F1 legend Michael Schumacher becomes granddad for the first time
Michael Schumacher has become a grandfather after his daughter announced the birth of a baby girl.
The F1 legend’s family welcomed the newest addition to the clan last weekend after daughter Gina-Maria Schumacher revealed she had given birth to a little girl called Millie.
Schumacher has been kept away from the limelight since his disastrous skiing accident in December 2013, which changed the Formula One champion’s life.
His condition has been shrouded in secrecy since, and his family, including wife Corinna, have been fiercely protective of his privacy.
But now the beleaguered family has had good news when Gina shared the birth announcement on her Instagram.
The 28-year-old new mother wrote: ‘Welcome to the world, Millie Born on March 29th, our hearts are fuller than ever. We are beyond blessed to have you in our lives.’
This is Gina and husband Iain Bethke’s firstborn – and the very first grandchild of Schumi’s.
Gina announced in December that she was pregnant, some months after she married Bethke in a private ceremony at the family’s Mallorca villa. where guests had to leave their phones at the door.
The wedding led to speculation about whether the F1 legend was present at the family celebration.
However, others have said Schumacher is likely to be largely bedridden.
A neurosurgery expert said previously that Schumi has a ‘private hospital built around him’ at home on the shores of Lake Geneva.
Commenting on whether Schumacher was going to attend Gina-Maria’s wedding, Jussi Posti, the head of neurosurgery and traumatic brain injury at a Finnish hospital, claimed that ‘everything points to him being unwell’ and that he is unlikely to have ‘an active life.’
‘As bedridden patients, many people become so frail and stiff that lifting moving them from the bed after years is no longer possible,’ he said.
Felix Gorner, a journalist for German broadcaster RTL and said to be close to the family, said in a resurfaced interview that Schumacher ‘can no longer communicate verbally.’
Schumacher also has a son Mick Schumacher, who followed in his father’s footsteps into racing.
The younger Schumacher is thought to have proposed to his long-term girlfriend, Danish model Laila Hasanovic, last year.
Who is Gina-Maria Schumacher?
The oldest of the Schumacher children is a skilled horsewoman who followed her mother into an equestrian career.
She has won the European championships and she often shares her love of horses on her social media, including her Western-style show riding.
Gina and mum Corinna reportedly found solace with horses following Schumacher’s tragic skiing accident.
She met her husband Bethke reportedly at a horse stable and the pair went public with their relationship in 2017.
Like the rest of her family, she has been tight-lipped about her dad’s condition.
However, she shared an old picture of her, Mick and Schumi to mark his 55th birthday on January 3 last year.
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