The Wanted‘s Max George has been discharged from hospital after having a pacemaker fitted.
Earlier this month, George revealed that he had been hospitalised after some tests revealed “issues” with his heart. He explained that he had been admitted after “feeling really unwell” and having some tests done. Later, he learned he would need surgery for a heart condition.
The 36-year-old said he had “a 2:1 block” in his heart, which is where the heart beats slower or more irregularly than it should be. Subsequently, he needed to have a pacemaker, a small, battery-powered machine that is usually implanted into the chest or abdomen to help control an irregular or slow heart rate.
Initially, he expected to have to spend Christmas in hospital, but circumstances changed when he found out he could have the operation sooner than expected.
Now, George has said that he is being discharged in time for Christmas after spending 11 days in hospital. He did, however, say he wasn’t completely in the clear as the doctors found there was more investigation needed into a potential issue with his lungs.
“It’s time to go home. The numbers are way better. I feel knackered, slept a lot today,” he said in a video posted to social media.
“Few more tests to do over the next couple of weeks, something to do with my lungs but that’s the least of my worries right now.
“All good, bit battered and bruised and knackered but,” he added as he gave a thumbs up to the camera.
George’s pacemaker is placed under a tattoo that reads ‘04.08.1988’, the birthdate of his former bandmate Tom Parker, who passed away in March 2022 at the age of 33 after battling brain cancer.
The Wanted rose to fame in early 2010 and are widely known for their chart-topping single ‘Glad You Came’. After a hiatus in 2014, the band came back in 2022 in the form of a duo rather than a 5-piece, comprising this time only George and bandmate Siva Kaneswaran.