Michael Schumacher's brother, and former Formula One driver, Ralf, comes out as gay by sharing picture with his partner on social media alongside heartfelt message
- Ralf Schumacher was married for 14 years to a model and former GQ cover star
- The German's supportive son David said that he is '100 per cent' behind him
- Actress Carmen Geiss, a close friend, offered her full support for Ralf coming out
Former Formula One star Ralf Schumacher, the brother of seven-time champion Michael Schumacher, has come out as gay on social media.
The German driver took to Instagram on Sunday to post a picture of himself and his French business manager Etienne standing arm-in-arm on a boat, captioning the image: 'The most beautiful thing in life is when you have the right partner by your side with whom you can share everything.'
Etienne reposted the image and said that he was 'above the clouds' in German.
The surprise announcement from the former driver turned entrepreneur and pundit was met with a torrent of congratulations and well-wishes from fans and members of the motorsport community.
Ralf's close friend and German actress Carmen Geiss replied to his social media post, writing: 'I LOVE YOU BOTH SO MUCH.
Ex-Formula One driver Ralf Schumacher has come out as gay on social media
Ralf, pictured with partner Etienne, wrote in a social media post: 'The most beautiful thing in life is when you have the right partner by your side with whom you can share everything'
Michael Schumacher, left, pictured alongside his brother Ralf in 2006 who raced for Toyota
Ralf's French partner Etienne is seen on a yacht in Monaco harbour over an F1 race weekend
The business manager is said to have met the ex-Jordan, Williams and Toyota driver in Monaco
'You have the best partner, Etienne, you can imagine. After two years you can finally show your love to the world. I have known Ralf for more than 25 years and he has always been a great joy to me.
'Always liberal, a good-hearted person who I can call day and night and above all has always been honest with me in his position.
'I am happy that I got to be a part of this love and even more happy for the two who searched and found each other, because I also love Etienne deeply.'
The 49-year-old was previously married to his former wife Cora Schumacher, a former Playboy model and ex-GQ cover star, for 14 years before the pair separated back in 2015.
The former couple, who tied the knot back in 2001 and welcomed their son David in the same year, are believed to be close still.
Reacting to his father's post on social media, David said: 'I am very happy that you have finally found someone with whom you really feel that you feel very comfortable and secure, no matter if you are a man or a woman.
Ralf was previously married to Playboy model and racing driver Cora Schumacher for 14 years
The couple got married back in 2001 and welcomed a son together the same year
The 47-year-old had a racing career of her own (left) driving in various championships, was a former Playboy model and has more recently joined the adult's only platform OnlyFans
'I am 100 per cent behind you dad and wish you all the best and congratulations.'
Cora, now 47, had a racing career of her own, driving in various classes and championships, and also built a separate career in showbusiness as a model, television presenter and actress.
She is best known for featuring on German television programmes like Top of the Pops, Mareinhof and Alarm Fur Cobra 11 - Die Autobahnpolizei, and since the split from Ralf launched a profile on the adult platform OnlyFans.
In the same month, it was also revealed that Michael Schumacher is able to 'sit at the dinner table', according to retired star Johnny Herbert.
Schumacher - who won seven world championships throughout his career - was involved in a tragic skiing accident in December 2013 that left him in a medically induced coma.
The condition of Schumacher, who was put into an artificial coma and underwent several surgeries, has been shrouded in mystery ever since, with only brief updates coming from his inner circle.
However, it appears that there has been an update provided on the German, which former British F1 star Herbert revealed in a recent interview.
Speaking to BettingSites.co.uk, Herbert said: 'I hear bits only second hand. I hear, from those within F1, he does sit at the table for dinner but don't know if that is true. I can only read between the lines.
Ralf's son David (above) said that he is '100 per cent behind' his father after the announcement
Michael Schumacher crashed into a boulder in a freak skiing accident in December 2013
'We haven't heard much from the family and understandably so. That has always been very much a part of Michael and the family's way to keep everything very private, very secretive.
'That has carried on from his racing days. I don't feel things have moved on in a way that many of us who knew him and many of his fans around the world want to see.
'They'd love to know, we'd all love to know that things are moving on in a positive way. But because we don't have any information, we can only assume that he is not yet in a position where there is a chance of a recovery'.
