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Max George has credited his mother for saving his life by taking emergency action as he struggled with the early symptoms of a heart condition.
The Wanted singer was rushed to hospital in December, with surgeons installing a pacemaker in his chest after he fell ill while staying at his mother Barbara’s Manchester home.
Now recovering at the Essex home he shares with actress girlfriend Maisie Smith, Max, 36, says he could’ve died had she not taken decisive action.
He told The Sun: ‘I hadn’t been feeling myself for a few days, I started feeling a bit rough. I couldn’t put my finger on it. I was quite lethargic and stuff, struggling to get out of bed. But I didn’t think it was anything serious.
‘Luckily I’d gone around to my mum’s to stay and I woke up and I remember looking at my hands and they were blue, and my arms were a grey colour and I was freezing cold. I struggled to even sit up in bed.’
Health care worker Barbara, 63, immediately realised her son was gravely ill and phoned a doctor friend – who urged Max to visit the nearest hospital.
Max George has credited his mother Barbara for saving his life by taking emergency action as he struggled with the early symptoms of a heart condition
The Wanted singer was rushed to hospital in December, with surgeons installing a pacemaker in his chest after he fell ill while staying at her Manchester home
‘I couldn’t move my arms and the worst feeling was I felt like my throat was closing up,’ he recalled. ‘It felt like someone had their hands around my neck.
‘Thank God I stayed at Mum’s house – she saved my life.’
Max, who wrote a will while in hospital, said being told he needed a pacemaker made him think about his ‘responsibilities’ and the loved ones he’d be leaving behind, should he die.
Recalling that ‘really scary’ and sleepless first night in hospital, the singer says he was ‘struggling to move.’
Two days after writing his will, Max was thrown into panic once again after his heart rate and blood pressure dropped, with the star admitting it was the ‘worst day; during is hospital stay.
He said: ‘It was quite close that night, it really felt like my neck was closing up and that’s when the sort of panic really kicked in. I felt like I was dying. It was the worst, I felt emotional.’
Luckily for Max, his pacemaker was fitted exactly a week after being admitted to hospital, with the singer conscious throughout the surgery, though heavily sedated.
He also remembered the ‘grim’ sight of the surgeon’s hand covered in blood as he pulled his hands away, though he was also ‘excited’ at the thought of finally being on the mend.
Max had a pacemaker fitted after being admitted to the hospital in December after experiencing issues with his heart
After recovering from the surgery the first person to greet him was Maisie, and Max says it was at this moment he felt like ‘a real person again’
After recovering from the surgery the first person to greet him was Maisie, and Max says it was at this moment he felt like ‘a real person again.’
He said: I had a proper heartbeat by then as well. My heart rate started just shooting up. So I remember feeling my feet going tingly, because I think obviously the blood started to properly pump around.
‘I was like, “Holy s, I feel alive again,” like it was a really nice feeling.’
Taking to Instagram with a reflective post at the end of the year, Max wsrote: ‘2024.. Certainly a year I won’t forget!
‘So lucky to have the life that I have. I can’t wait for the next chapter, no matter what challenges lie ahead.’
