Michael Schumacher's wife revealed the F1 legend’s last words before his tragic skiing accident, which changed the family’s lives forever.
Seven-time world champion Schumacher’s head collided with a rock while skiing in the French resort of Meribel on December 29, 2013. He suffered a near-fatal brain injury as a result, leaving him in a coma until June 16, 2014.
His wife and mother of his two children, Corinna, has largely refused to share details about the iconic Ferrari driver’s condition since. She keeps updates regarding Schumacher to a minimum since he has been out of the public eye.
However, the German did offer fans a glimpse into her last-known conversation with her husband prior to the accident. Heartbreakingly, it was a discussion that could have prevented Schumacher, 55, from taking to those slopes 11 years ago.
Speaking on the Netflix documentary 'Schumacher' – released in 2021 – about her husband's legendary career, Corinna said: "Shortly before it happened in Meribel, he said to me: 'The snow isn't optimal. We could fly to Dubai and go skydiving there'.
"I have never blamed God for what happened. It was just really bad luck, all the bad luck anyone can have in life. It's always terrible when you say: 'Why is this happening to Michael or us?' But then why does it happen to other people?
"Of course, I miss Michael every day. But it's not just me who misses him. The children, the family, his father, everyone around him. I mean, everybody misses Michael."
The world of motorsport has been eager for updates on Schumacher's condition but has also respected the family's wish for privacy. In the aforementioned documentary, Schumacher's son Mick, who was 14 and with his father at the time of the accident, also recalled some memories of that fateful day in Meribel.
Mick said: "Since the accident, of course, these experiences, these moments that I believe many people have with their parents, are no longer present, or to a lesser extent.
"And in my view, that is a little unfair. I think dad and me, we would understand each other in a different way now. Simply because we speak a similar language, the language of motorsport. And that we would have much more to talk about.
"That's where my head is most of the time. Thinking that would be so cool. That would be it. I would give up everything just for that."
One of the few updates on Schumacher's health has come from his close friend and former Ferrari F1 boss Jean Todt, who claimed he visits the Schumacher family home in Switzerland up to twice a month. Todt told German outlet BILD that he expected Schumacher to "slowly and surely improve".
Schumacher was rumoured to have been present at the wedding of his daughter Gina, 27, to her partner Iain Bethke at their luxury villa in Majorca back in September. To avoid any leaks of images or videos, guests were reportedly asked to hand over their mobile phones.
But Schumacher's close friend Johnny Herbert, who raced in Formula One between 1989 and 2000, rubbished those claims, describing them as 'fake news'.
The German still needs round-the-clock medical attention, and Elisabetta Gregoraci, the former wife of ex-F1 team principal and QPR co-owner Flavio Briatore, previously disclosed how Schumacher now communicates. "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 has set up a hospital in that house."
In 2023, there were also reports that Schumacher had been taken for drives in a Mercedes AMG sports car as part of an effort to activate parts of his brain previously used for racing.
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