Michael Schumacher health condition latest news update: First photos of F1 racer emerge as manager reiterates his need for privacy

Michael Schumacher has not been seen in public since his skiing accident back in December 2013. The seven-time Formula One World Champion has been recuperating privately in his home in Lake Geneva, Switzerland with his family and team strictly and successfully imposing a media blackout on his health condition. Now, three years after suffering traumatic brain injury, it seems that someone has managed to take recent photos of the retired racing driver.

According to Metro.co.uk, recent photos of Schumacher were secretly taken from his home. However, the identity of the photographer has not been revealed. It is also not known how these photos were smuggled out of the Schumachers' property. The images are reportedly being offered to various European media outlets for a whopping £1 million, which is about $1.2 million.

News of the photos broke shortly after Schumacher's manager, Sabine Kehm, made a statement reiterating the private nature of the racer's recuperation process and current condition.

"Michael's health is not a public issue, and so we will continue to make no comment in that regard. We have to protect his intimate sphere. Legally seen and in the longer term, every statement related to his health would diminish the extent of his intimate sphere," she said, as reported by The Telegraph.

Kehm said that even during the most successful times in his career, Schumacher had always guarded his privacy and that not disclosing his health condition is in keeping with his own guidelines.

The Schumacher family has been quite strict when it comes to reports about the racer's health condition. In September, it was revealed that the family had filed a lawsuit against Die Bunte magazine. The German publication was said to have made false claims that the 47-year-old could already "take small steps with assistance." However, the family's lawyer, Felix Damm, told CNN that Schumacher "cannot even stand with the help of his special therapists."

It is expected that Schumacher's camp will also go after whoever is peddling the photographs. An investigation is said to be ongoing for this breach in his personal life.

Meanwhile, the family understands that a lot of fans are eagerly awaiting news about Schumacher's condition. They will be launching the "Keep Fighting Initiative" to say thank you to all those who have continued to support the racer in his darkest times and to encourage people to "keep fighting and never give up."