Maisie Smith is balancing her acting career with her desire to be by Max George’s bedside, with The Wanted star revealing he may have to undergo heart surgery earlier than expected
The Wanted star Max George, 36, is currently in hospital after being rushed to A&E by his mum last week with suspected heart issues.
The musician has frequently shared that the support of his loved ones – including girlfriend Maisie Smith, 23 – is helping him get through the tough time, but Maisie herself is reportedly struggling. EastEnders alum Maisie is currently starring in a panto in Canterbury, meaning she’s hard at work and can’t spend as much with Max as she’d like.
An insider said that it was a “worrying and distressing time” for the couple, and added: “All she wants to do is be by his bedside day and night but she’s committed to her panto show and doesn’t want to let anyone down.” They told The Sun that Maisie was struggling with “juggling everything,” but was doing her best to spend time with Max during visiting hours and around her schedule. “Max is on her mind 24/7 and she wants more than anything for him to be better as soon as possible,” the source shared.
Despite her work and life conflicts, Maisie shared a photo of herself holding Max’s hand in hospital earlier today. She wrote on her Instagram Story: “Got to see my wonderful man today. Proud of you @maxgeorge.” Max reshared the image, and added: “Thank you baby. I love you so much,” alongside a love heart emoji.
Max and Maisie met on Strictly Come Dancing in 2020, and while Maisie initially said they were only friends, a romance blossomed. In 2022 they made their relationship official by attending an awards ceremony together. The couple have faced questions over their 13-year age gap, and spoke about the topics with Lorraine host Ranvir Singh in August. Both agreed it wasn’t an issue, with Maisie saying: “I’ve always said from the start my family and your family – we’re so close. Max has been there for me and my family while we’ve been going through some stuff.” Max added: “We’re not bothered about stuff like that.”
Max got more news about his condition this week, and revealed to fans that he has a ‘block’ in his heart and may need a pacemaker. Sharing an update on Monday, the star said he may have to have surgery “way quicker” than initially thought. “Had a little day trip today. Full CT scan on my heart,” he wrote alongside a photo of himself wired to a machine.
“Not something I’d choose to do again! As I mentioned yesterday, I have a 2:1 block in my heart. Unfortunately my heart rate hasn’t picked up at all in almost a week. Because of this, we don’t have too much time to wait so it looks like I’m going to be in surgery way quicker than the doctors first thought. I may even be home for Christmas!”
He continued: “The last few nights have been really rough, but I wanted to say that I’m absolutely humbled by all your messages of support. Both people I know and those I don’t. It’s given me a much needed boost and my family have been overwhelmed with support, which means more to me than anything.”
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