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Inside Michael Schumacher's daughter's wedding: Guests were 'forced to hand over their phones' to avoid leaking photos of private holiday home F1 legend visits - with it 'very likely' he WAS present

E.Wright2 hr ago
Guests were reportedly banned from taking their phones to Michael Schumacher's daughter's wedding amid rumours the F1 legend was present on Saturday.

Gina, 27, tied the knot with her boyfriend Iain Bethke at the family's luxury villa in Majorca, which they bought for £27million in 2017.

BILD claims that the family did not want anyone taking unauthorised photos of the property's private rooms.

The German outlet also reports that it is 'very likely' that seven-time world champions Schumacher was present, almost 11 years on from his near-fatal freak skiing crash.

Guests are said to have included Michael's brother Ralf and his partner Etienne Bosquet-Cassagne, who have been embroiled in a row with the former's ex-wife Cora over her claims she felt 'stabbed in the heart' after finding out he was gay .

The villa has a landing pad and he is regularly flown from to the villa in Port d'Andratx from the family home by Lake Geneva in Switzerland.

It is part of a 15,000 square metre estate which boasts two swimming pools, a helipad, a gym and a huge palm-tree-fringed garden.

On Friday night, a bachelorette party was held for Gina, a successful equestrian, at upmarket Mhares Sea Club south of the island capital Palma before the wedding ceremony on Saturday at the Villa Yasmin.

The ceremony lasted around half an hour according to respected Majorcan daily Ultima Hora and they said 'I do' by 4pm.

There was reportedly a banquet with a live performance from a country music band, although no figure is given for the number of guests.

It was reported at the start of the year Gina and her boyfriend would get married during the summer at Villa Yasmin, which the Schumachers bought from Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.

Majorcan press, citing German magazine Bunte as the source of the information, said a wedding planner from northern Germany had been hired to put the 'finishing touches' on the celebration.

Horse enthusiasts Gina and Iain went official with their relationship nearly seven years ago. They stepped out at an awards ceremony in Munich in December 2017.

In September last year Michael's daughter shared a new photo on her Instagram account with her boyfriend.

In September 2020 it was claimed Schumacher was spending time at the villa in Majorca.

Spanish press said he had been moved to the exclusive property on the upmarket estate of Las Brisas near Andratx in the south-west of Majorca from his Swiss home.

Papers including respected Majorcan daily Diario de Mallorca and Catalan daily La Vanguardia published their reports after ex-Formula 1 team boss and former QPR co-owner Flavio Briatore's ex-wife Elisabetta Gregoraci claimed: 'Michael doesn't speak, he communicates with his eyes.

'Only three people can visit him and I know who they are.'

Speaking on the Italian version of Big Brother Gregoraci added: 'They moved to Spain and his wife has set up a hospital in that house.'

Schumacher saw his life change forever after a tragic accident 10 years ago.

Having spent his career expertly piloting the world's fastest - and dangerous machines for more than 15 years - before retiring in good health in 2012 aged 43, Schumacher almost lost his life in a freak fall just one year later.

The seven-time world champion was enjoying a family holiday in the French ski resort of Méribel and embarked on a seemingly routine skiing excursion with his then 14-year-old son Mick when disaster struck.

While descending the highly popular Combe de Saulire route, Schumacher opted to venture off-piste, entering into a small sliver of uncombed powder between Piste Chamois and Piste Biche that was peppered with small rocks.

But despite the relatively gentle gradient and the short distance of the off-piste section, a hidden danger was lying in wait. The snowfall had concealed some of the boulders from view, turning the powder paradise into a minefield.

Schumacher's skis clipped one such boulder and the sudden force catapulted him into the air - leaving him powerless to avoid a head-first collision with another rock.

The impact was devastating. Schumacher's helmet absorbed much of the force, but the severity of the accident cracked the hard shell and fractured Schumacher's skull, leading to a traumatic brain injury.

Having been placed into a medically induced coma, he underwent two brain surgeries, surviving both against all odds, but remained in critical condition.

In April 2014, doctors began the painstaking process of gradually withdrawing him from the coma, and by June he was deemed safe to move.

He then travelled to Lausanne University Hospital for continuous rehabilitation, before leaving the facility in September to the £50m Schumacher family home in Gland, Switzerland, on the banks of Lake Geneva.

Updates on his health have been few and far between, as his wife Corinna, who he married in 1995, insisted on total secrecy over his condition.

The rule has been faithfully observed by Schumacher's loved ones, friends and wider entourage, who believe the racer and his immediate family deserve privacy to maintain his dignity.

None but a trusted few are granted access to his bedside amid strict security protocols, which have inevitably given rise to a number of rumours over Schumi's condition.

The family has also been subject to extortion and blackmail from opportunists seeking to cash in on the legend's tragedy.

Earlier this week a pair of suspects, Yilmaz T, 53, and his 30-year-old son from Wuppertal in Germany's North Rhine-Westphalia region, were charged after they were arrested for allegedly threatening to leak images of Schumacher taken after his near-fatal skiing crash.

They allegedly told the Schumachers they 'would not want (the pictures) published' and 'demanded millions' to stop them from doing so.

The two men, who were arrested on June 19, transferred 'individual files' to the family to show they had access to documents about the F1 star - threats that investigators later deemed credible.

A third man, thought to be the mastermind behind the plot, was also arrested and charged as part of the investigation. The 53-year-old previously worked as a security guard for the family, the public prosecutor's office in Wuppertal said.

The case is said to have brought the family closer together, as they continue to care for Schumacher and post the occasional update on social media.

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