Michael Schumacher's manager clarifies magazine's claims the driver is now walking

Michael Schumacher 2015 walking
The magazine claims those in Schumacher’s ‘closest environment’ say he can walk again

German glossy magazine Bunte claimed earlier yesterday (the 22nd of December, 2015) that stricken Formula One driver Michael Schumacher was now ‘mobile’ and walking around his home in Switzerland with assistance from carers.

The magazine quoted a ‘confidante’ and what it alleged were sources close to the driver and his medical team as saying “ "Michael is very thin. But he can once again walk a little with the help of his therapist. He manages to walk a few steps. He can even raise his arm." [translated]

Schumacher’s long-time manager Sabine Kehm, however, has broken her silence to deny the rumours.

In December 2013, the 7-time Formula One World Champion, regarded by many as the greatest driver to have ever been a part of the sport, went off-piste whilst skiing with son Mick in Meribel, in the French Alps. Schumacher, an experienced skiier, fell and hit his head on a rock.

Despite the fact that he was wearing a helmet, Schumacher sustained serious head injuries at the time, and was placed into a medically induced coma, regaining full consciousness in June 2014.

The Formula One star has since been under round-the-clock care by a 24-hour medical team at his home in Switzerland, and has slowly been making progress, with his manager stating his condition was “slowly improving considering the gravity of his injuries.”

Kehm described the magazine’s claims as “hurtful, especially to those closely involved,” and said the rumours were ‘untrue.’

Bunte, meanwhile, has refused to withdraw the article, saying it has faith in its sources and describing the news in its magazine as a “Christmas miracle.”

Quick Links

Edited by Staff Editor