Michael Schumacher’s daughter Gina has opened up about her father’s skiing accident – revealing how his injury affected her and what helped “get through everything”
Michael Schumacher’s daughter Gina confessed that her father’s devastating skiing accident turned her life on its head in numerous ways.
The 29-year-old said she “had to do something” to distract herself from the terrifying event and devoted her life to horse riding. Schumacher has remained out of the public eye since his ski accident, which resulted in him being in a coma for nearly six months due to bleeding and bruising on the brain.
The 57-year-old suffered a skull fracture during a family holiday in Meribel and underwent two brain surgeries to save his life. Since then, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion has kept his life private, only allowing a select few to visit him.
JOIN US ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page
In her forthcoming documentary – Horsepower: The World of Gina Schumacher – Gina revealed just how deeply her dad’s accident affected her.
She said: “After dad’s accident, I really threw myself into it because I had to do something. The horses have always been important. But since then they’ve really been… I mean, I couldn’t do without horses. They helped me get through everything.
“She [my mother] used to have a horse, and when we were younger, she wanted to start again. But she wanted a safe horse. Then she was in Dubai with dad, and they rode Arabians.
“Dad fell off one. There was a Quarter Horse next to it and he was there to calm the others down. And then mum said she wanted a horse like that.”
Reflecting on the support she received from her parents in her career, Gina said: “I’m grateful that I can do this.
“Because it’s not something to take for granted. My parents made it possible. That’s why it’s always been important to me to work hard in this area, so that I can do it as well as I possibly can.”
Schumacher’s wife Corinna admitted that the Formula 1 legend once predicted their daughter would surpass her in the equestrian world. She said: “Michael once said to me, when Gina was ten, ‘Gina will be much better than you.'”
“He explained, ‘Because she’s more selfish. If you’re an athlete, you have to be selfish in a certain way. And that’s great. Otherwise, you won’t amount to anything.’ Today I think, he was so right.”
Schumacher continues to maintain his privacy with the Daily Mail reporting in January that he is no longer confined to bed.
The former F1 champion resides in a £30million estate in Majorca with his family and a large team of medical professionals providing round-the-clock care.
Get £250 to switch to Virgin Media’s sport packages
Virgin Media is paying new customers up to £250 as a bill credit when they switch to one of its TV and broadband packages, several which are packed with hundreds of channels including Sky Sports, Netflix and fibre broadband.