Michael Schumacher’s wife has appealed for the media to stay away from the hospital where the racing legend is being treated for a brain injury after his skiing accident.

Corinna Schumacher spoke out for the first time since her husband's tumble in the French Alps on December 29th. She said: "It's very important to me that you ease the burden on the doctors and the hospital so that they can do their work in peace."

She asked the international media who have gathered at the hospital in Grenoble to leave. “Please also leave our family alone.”

Schumacher (45) has been in a medically induced coma since last week, after he hit his head on a rock.

He retired from Formula One in 2012 as the most successful Formula 1 driver in history.

PA