Max George reveals he had another secret heart surgery after getting ‘worse and worse’

The Wanted star Max George has revealed he recently underwent a second heart operation after first having a pacemaker fitted in December. The singer, 36, was originally rushed into A&E in Manchester just before Christmas 2024, where he was fitted with a pacemaker. This came after he awoke, feeling freezing cold and with bright blue hands, while staying with mum Babs, 63, at her home in Manchester following a month-long tour of the USA with his band.

After alerting his mother – who he credits with saving his life – he was initially sent home by their GP – however, a doctor friend then told him to get straight to A&E. It was there that he was told he would need to have the operation because he had a ‘block’ in his heart for which a pacemaker – a small device used to treat some arrhythmias – had to be fitted. After coming out of that surgery successfully, Max thought he was on the road to recovery.

That is until recently, when he began to feel a shaking and fluttering in his chest that was gradually worsening, he revealed to The Sun. He said: ‘I was trying to get back to good health but was still having a flickering sensation for weeks after I had my pacemaker fitted and it was gradually getting worse and worse.’. Eventually, Max booked in for a second surgery on January 15, thought he battled fears beforehand that he ‘could bleed out,’ given the rare set of cirumstances.

Luckily, the second surgery was a success, and Max feels lucky to be on the other side of such a scary ordeal. After his first operation, Max updated his followers by posting a photo of the large scar from the procedure above which is a tattoo of his late Wanted bandmate Tom Parker’s birthday, 4 August 1988. Tom Parker died in 2022, aged 33, after he was diagnosed with brain cancer. In his powerful caption, Max wrote: ‘Given the last 10 days, this is the best Christmas present I could have ever wished for.

‘Pacemaker is in. Operation took around 2 and half hours. The main issue being some of my veins had collapsed where the wires were meant to go… But the surgeons and nurses at the NHS have been incredible. I owe everything to them. ‘The surgeon kindly put my pacemaker just underneath a very special tattoo of mine.. So I’m sure it’s being looked after.’. He added that he still has a ‘few more tests’ remaining for ‘inflamed lymph nodes’ on his lungs but said it will ‘be easy work’.

‘Time to rest and then tackle life full-on once again. Thank you for all your support. It’s meant a hell of a lot to myself and my family,’ he concluded. Now, as Max recovers from his second heart surgery, he’s been leaning on girlfriend Maisie Smith, 23. Maisie, who is a former EastEnders star, met Max when they were competing on Strictly Come Dancing in 2020 and started dating two years later.