The Wanted star Max George has revealed his pacemaker has been fitted after an operation to address a 2:1 heart block.
On Saturday, the singer shared a photo to Instagram of his scar, which sits just below a “special tattoo” on the left side of his chest that says “04/08/1988”, in reference to the birthday of his late bandmate Tom Parker, who died in 2022.
George, 36, who announced he had been taken to hospital due to “issues with my heart” earlier in the month, said the pacemaker was “the best Christmas present”.
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He wrote: “Say hello to my little friend!
“Given the last 10 days, this is the best Christmas present I could’ve ever wished for.
“Pacemaker is in. Operation took around two and a 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.
“Few more tests to do due to inflamed lymph nodes on my lungs, but that’ll 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.”
In a health update on 16 December, George said he had “a 2:1 block in my heart” and would be undergoing heart surgery “way quicker than the doctors first thought”.
He previously said in a video to his Instagram stories that he was “hoping [for a] pacemaker”.
The implanted devices, which regulate heart rhythm, have saved countless lives by generating an electric current.
The late Tom Parker, who also rose to fame alongside George in the 2010s with the boy band The Wanted, died at the age of 33 after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour.
As well as a string of hits with The Wanted, George has also appeared in the US musical series Glee and competed on Strictly Come Dancing, where he got to know his future girlfriend, former EastEnders star Maisie Smith, in 2020.
Smith, 23, and George have previously said that romantic sparks only began to fly in 2022.
Source: Press Association