Max George has revealed he suffered a frightening cardiac episode which hospitalised him just two days before The Wanted 2.0’s scheduled American tour dates.
The 36-year-old performer, from Swinton in Greater Manchester, experienced a dangerous arrhythmia that caused the chambers of his heart to beat out of synchronisation.
Mr George has a heart condition known as 2:1 heart block (atrioventricular block) and had to have a pacemaker fitted to manage the condition.
In an Instagram post, the star posted a series of photos from an MRI scan, captioned: “So, THIS happened 2 days before our tour in America…and no, I didn’t go to space.
“After being taken into A&E twice in a week due to arrhythmias, I had to have a full heart scan.
“Luckily everything was fine and I was given the green light to get back on stage…. just needed a few tweaks. So buzzing I was able to tour US. So many more in the diary for next year.
“Hopefully I won’t be doing this bushtucker trial for a while.. it’s GRIM.”
Fans of the star and inundated his comments with support.
Max George suffered a frightening cardiac episode
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“Glad everything was ok, and you were able to get on stage!” on posted, while another encouraged the singer to “stay strong!”.
A third fan offered her encouragement, saying: Glad you are all good! My Gran had to have a pacemaker about 10 years ago, and last week she went in to the hospital to get the batteries changed at the age of 91, everything went all good for her.”
Manchester City Football Club, of which Mr George is a lifelong supporter, left a love heart in support of the star.
In an interview with The Mirror, the singer revealed: “I had an arrhythmia, the top half of my heart was doing 50, which it should, and the bottom was 160. It was out of sync.
“It was scary but I’m alright now. I needed medication and I’m on that now, as it keeps it stable.” This latest ordeal follows a series of heart complications.
Nearly a year ago, Mr George underwent surgery to have a pacemaker fitted after being diagnosed with a 2:1 heart block, a condition that slows or disrupts the heart’s electrical signals.
The initial issue surfaced unexpectedly last year, shortly after Mr George returned from an American tour. “It was crazy. It literally came out of nowhere. I had just been on this tour in America, everything was fine, and then it just happened at home,” he said.
“It was a massive shock, and before I knew it, I was at home with a pacemaker. You don’t really have time to think about it, to be honest.”
The operation marked a major turning point for the performer, best known for hits such as Walks Like Rihanna and Gold Forever.
But Mr George’s recovery was far from straightforward. A few weeks after his pacemaker operation, he developed complications that required surgeons to perform the procedure again.He recalled experiencing a worrying “flickering sensation” in his chest.
“I had a setback as I had to have the operation done again,” he said.
The extended recovery period left him adjusting for six to seven months. “It took six or seven months to heal and get used to it, but I’m not too bad now,” he added.
Max George and Siva Kaneswaran have been touring as a duo, performing the band’s hits
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PA
The health crisis arrived at a challenging time, with the first pacemaker surgery occurring shortly before Christmas last year.
Mr George expressed hope that this festive season would bring “a little less drama” than the last.Living with a pacemaker has forced significant changes to his lifestyle.
“Stuff like exercise – I have to be careful doing too much because I depend on my pacemaker,” he told the Mirror.
The device limits his participation in contact sports and high-risk activities that could damage the equipment.
“I have to avoid damaging it doing things like football or skiing – stuff that I love – which is hard,” he admitted.
Despite having played football most of his life, Mr George said he is learning to navigate the new restrictions.
Reflecting on the adjustments, he said: “You just get on with it.”
Still, his determination to perform remains unwavering. “All I wanted to do was get back to work,” he said, underscoring his commitment to touring.
The complications did force The Wanted 2.0 to postpone a scheduled show at Manchester Cathedral in February, with Mr George acknowledging he would not be “well enough in time” following his second procedure.
Mr George continues to tour with The Wanted 2.0 alongside Kaneswaran, representing the legacy of the original five-piece group that earned two UK number-one singles and four top 10 albums with hits such as All Time Low and Glad You Came.