Max George Opens Up About Heart Condition and Recovery Journey
Singer Max George has described his recent heart condition as "a blessing in ways," sharing a detailed health update that underscores the importance of charity work and raising awareness. The 37-year-old member of the pop group The Wanted was admitted to hospital in December 2024, where doctors discovered he had a 2:1 block on his heart, necessitating urgent surgery due to his heart rate not improving.
Urgent Surgery and Pacemaker Fitting
George underwent surgery that same week and was fitted with a pacemaker, an experience he described as a "shock." He has since been on the mend, returning to performing with the duo The Wanted 2.0 last year. Reflecting on his diagnosis, George explained that he knew something was seriously wrong when he experienced severe symptoms.
"It was mad. I could hardly breathe, and my arms and my chest were blue – and my face," he said. "My heart rate was so low at that time, it was at around 24 beats per minute and it was like that for about eight days whilst I was in hospital waiting for the operation. I couldn't physically feel anything that was going on, but I was aware of it. There were times where it kind of felt like torture a little bit."
Supporting the British Heart Foundation Campaign
George is now backing a new campaign by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to raise awareness of people living with heart conditions. As part of this initiative, he will speak with individuals who have similar conditions, swapping stories about their experiences. The campaign includes the unveiling of 65 red benches across the UK, one for each year the BHF has been established, in tribute to those living with cardiovascular disease.
Each bench carries the name of a survivor along with a short message about them and what they enjoy. George expressed his enthusiasm for the campaign, stating, "It feels really cool to be a part of it. This is an awesome campaign to be supporting, and we'll just see where it goes."
A Blessing in Disguise
In an interview with the Press Association, George reflected on how speaking about his condition has been "really rewarding." He began publicly discussing his heart problems during his hospital stay almost two years ago, documenting the experience on Instagram out of "boredom."
"To interact with people was just something nice to do. But the more I spoke to people, the more I realised that there was a lot of people my age and younger that have had this happen to them," he said. "It kind of triggered a thought process that it was important to get the word out there – that heart problems don't just happen to people over 75. If I can help them with their story or help bring more money towards treatment for heart conditions, then I'm all for it."
He added, "In terms of that, this whole thing has been a blessing in ways, because it's been really rewarding speaking to people, especially people that are younger than me, and helping them feel a little bit better about their case."
Background and Career
Manchester-born Max George rose to fame in the 2010s with The Wanted, alongside bandmates Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness, Nathan Sykes, and Tom Parker – who died in 2022 at the age of 33 after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour. The group, best known for hits like All Time Low, Glad You Came, and Chasing The Sun, achieved two UK number one singles and four UK top 10 albums.
George has also appeared in the US musical series Glee and competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2020, where he met former EastEnders star Maisie Smith, who is now his girlfriend. His heart condition, diagnosed as a heart block, is caused by a problem with the electrical pulses controlling the heartbeat, and can be managed with a pacemaker to keep the heart beating regularly.
