Michael Schumacher's wife Corinna makes major decision over F1 star's health battle

The health status of Formula One icon Michael Schumacher has been a closely guarded secret since his life-altering skiing accident.The ex-racing driver, 55, hasn't been seen in public since the tragic incident over a decade ago, and it's reported that he spends his days in a home-based hospital facility receiving constant care.His family have kept silent about his condition, with his dedicated wife, Corinna Schumacher, said to be extremely cautious, allowing only trusted visitors.

The family is now reportedly battling to keep details about his health confidential amidst an ongoing blackmail trial involving his former bodyguard.Markus Fritsche, who was employed by Schumacher until around 2021, stands accused of assisting in the blackmail of the family, allegedly using hundreds of private photos, videos and the driver's medical records.

He has now appeared in court in Germany alongside Yilmaz Tozturkan, a bouncer, and his son, Daniel Lins, an IT expert, over the alleged extortion scheme, reports the Mirror.Tozturkan is accused of 'threatening' to release family photos on the dark web unless they paid up £12,000,000 (€15,000,000).

Corinna has lodged a request for the case to be heard privately, which means the public could be barred from the hearing if her husband's health is discussed, according to German newspaper Bild.Fritsche allegedly told Tozturkan over a coffee that he was 'in possession of this material and he asked if we could do anything with it,' MailOnline reports.Following last month's speculations, it was assumed that the tight circle of secrecy around the F1 legend had eased amid reports he attended his daughter 27-year-old Gina-Maria's nuptials earlier this year.