Michael Schumacher is “very altered, deteriorated and not how we remember him”
Michael Schumacher is “very altered” six years on from the horror ski accident which left him with a shocking brain injury, according to a leading neurosurgeon.
The Formula One champion was close to death when a skiing accident saw him fall and hit his head on a rock in the French Alps in December 2013.
Despite the iconic racer coming out of his long-term coma, surgeon Nicola Acciari claims he won't be the man his millions of adoring fans remember.
“We must imagine a person very different from the one we remember on the track, with a very altered and deteriorated organic, muscular and skeletal structure,” Dr Acciari told Italian newspaper Contro Copertina.
“All as a result of the brain trauma he suffered.”
Dr Acciari has not treated the sporting star herself.
Schumacher’s former boss at Ferrari revealed last year that the 51-year-old is making progress in his recovery and enjoys watching F1 races on TV.
Jean Todt, one of Schumacher’s closest friends, gave a rare insight during an interview with Radio Monte-Carlo (RMC).
Speaking to the station, Todt said he had been making good progress, with the pair watching the races on TV together.
He added: “I’m always been careful with such statements, but it’s true. I saw the race together with Michael Schumacher at his home in Switzerland.”
While declining to provide too much detail on Schumacher’s health, out of respect for his family, Todt said: “Michael is in the best hands and is well looked after in his house.
“He does not give up and keeps fighting.”