F1 legend Michael Schumacher suffered life-changing injuries in a skiing accident

Michael Schumacher’s wife recalled her last-known conversation with her husband before his skiing accident(Image: Toni Passig/Getty Images)

Michael Schumacher’s wife revealed that he nearly decided against going skiing on the day of his life-changing accident in December 2013. The Formula 1 icon struck his head on a rock at the French resort of Meribel, leaving him in a coma until June 2014.

Schumacher, who celebrates his 57th birthday on Saturday, has remained out of the public eye since the incident 12 years ago. His wife Corinna has fiercely guarded her husband’s privacy by maintaining a tight-knit inner circle, with minimal information being shared about his condition.

Among those known to have visited Schumacher, beyond his wife and two children, Mick and Gina-Maria, are his long-time manager Sabine Kehm and F1 friends Ross Brawn, Jean Todt, Gerhard Berger, Luca Badoer and Felipe Massa. While Corinna has declined to speak about Schumacher’s health, she has previously shared what he told her on that fateful day.

In the 2021 Netflix documentary ‘Schumacher’ about her husband’s legendary career, Corinna revealed: “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.”

Michael and Corinna Schumacher have been married since 1995(Image: STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Their son Mick shared similar feelings during the documentary. The 26-year-old expressed his sadness at being unable to discuss his own racing career with his father, who inspired his love of motorsport.

Speaking on the ‘Schumacher’ documentary, 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.”

His father secured seven F1 world championships between 1994 and 2004, during his time with Benetton and Ferrari. Following retirement, Schumacher made a three-year comeback with Mercedes until 2012. His son Mick, meanwhile, made his F1 debut with Haas in 2021 before subsequently transitioning into endurance racing.

Reports emerged that Schumacher attended his daughter Gina-Maria’s wedding when she married Iain Bethke in September 2024. The ceremony took place at the family’s villa in Majorca, with guests reportedly required to hand over their phones to prevent any information about the F1 icon’s condition being leaked.

Although Schumacher has remained out of the public eye since his accident, Elisabetta Gregoraci, the former wife of ex-Benetton chief Flavio Briatore, offered some insight when speaking to Spanish media in 2020.

She said: “Michael doesn’t speak, he communicates with his eyes. 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.”