A top neurosurgeon believes Michael Schumacher 'has probably been in the same condition for a decade' following claims the F1 icon recently attended his daughter's wedding.
The 55-year-old has lived away from the spotlight ever since his devastating skiing accident back in December 2013.
Schumacher hit his head on a rock while skiing in the French Alps and, to this day, his condition is unknown.
Reports recently claimed that the Ferrari icon attended the wedding of his daughter, Gina, who tied the knot with long-term boyfriend Iain Bethke.
Michael Schumacher's condition remains unknown 11 years on from his tragic skiing accident
PA
It has even been described as Schumacher's first public appearance in 11 years.
Yet a top neurosurgeon has now refuted those claims and believes the 55-year-old has probably been in the 'same condition for a decade'.
Jussi Posti - head of the neurosurgery and traumatic brain injury department at Turku University Hospital in Finland - has told Iltalehti: "If a hospital has been built in his house, with everything medicalised around him, it seems that he has been in hospital most of the time'.
"Based on the information available, I don't think he leads a very active life.
JUST IN: Emma Raducanu back driving beloved second-hand motor after having £125,000 Porsche taken off her
"Everything points to him being unwell. As bedridden patients, most people become so frail and stiff that it is no longer possible to get them out of bed after so many years."
Posti then added: "It suggests that he has probably been in the same condition for the last decade.
"I doubt that anything sudden has changed at this stage.
"Typically, patients recover what they can recover for up to two years, and then the level of recovery is usually set.
READ MORE: Jake Paul training footage sets off alarm bells ahead of controversial Mike Tyson boxing fight
"Essentially, these types of patients are very experimental models at best."
The Schumacher family have long been keen to protect the F1 icon.
As a result, there have been precious few details given to the public in the 11 years since the accident.
Only a handful of people are allowed access to Schumacher, who won seven F1 titles during his time in the sport.
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
Michael Schumacher sustained serious injuries while skiing in France back in 2013GETTYThese include Jean Todt, his old boss at Ferrari, and former team-mate Felipe Massa.
As things stand, the family plan on maintaining Schumacher's privacy. Wife Corinna, speaking in 2021, said the family felt indebted to the icon given how he protected them during his years in Formula One.
She also said he was 'different' from before.
Speaking on a Netflix documentary about her husband, she said: "Michael is here. Different, but he's here, and that gives us strength, I find. He still shows me how strong he is every day.
Michael Schumacher is looked after at home by wife Corinna Schumacher
NETFLIX"We live together at home. We do therapy. We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he's comfortable. And to simply make him feel our family, our bond.
"And no matter what, I will do everything I can. We all will. "We're trying to carry on as a family, the way Michael liked it and still does. And we are getting on with our lives.
"'Private is private', as he always said. It's very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible.
"Michael always protected us, and now we are protecting Michael."