Saturday 24 December 2011

Welcome back, George Michael

George Michael is out of hospital and back where he belongs - his home in North London - and I'm so glad. I'm happiest for George himself of course, at 48 he's much too young to leave for unknown shores. I'm very happy for George's family and friends who came so horribly and frighteningly close to losing him. We can only imagine what unspeakable hell they've been through in the past month. And I'm glad for all his fans, who care for him too - albeit from a distance. Because we not only love his music, we love him as well!

Once again I am so proud of George. What a fighter he proved himself to be. Fighting to stay alive for weeks when things were as he said "touch and go". Fighting to regain his strength in the 10 days since he woke up from his induced coma, and making unbelievable progress - he was walking all by himself. It was a hard-fought battle, and from the look of him I'd say it's not yet completely won. But I'm confident victory will be his in the end, and he will make a full recovery.

On Friday, George gave a press conference outside his home. Walking to a spot between Christmas trees in front of his house, he took a few minutes to answer questions from the press. Oversized glasses shielded his face from too intrusive looks and protected him from the worst of the flash photography. A scarf was carefully draped around his neck, hiding the scar of the tracheotomy from sight.

He was reduced to gasping for breath when, talking about his ordeal, his emotions got the better of him. It was heartbreaking, and just like thousands of fans across the world I just wanted to hug him and hold him tight for a very long time. He looked so frail and gaunt. But not sad. Very emotional yes, but not sad. Clearly, he was very grateful he survived. So are we, George! Welcome back, dear George, we missed you.

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