Max George from The Wanted has pacemaker fitted for heart condition

Max George, a member of boy band The Wanted, has revealed he has had a pacemaker fitted days after saying he would need surgery for a heart condition.

He posted a photo of his scar showing the position of the small battery-powered device, which keeps the heart beating regularly, on Instagram.

George said the surgeon had placed the pacemaker just below a “special tattoo” that says 04/08/1998, referring to the birthday of his late bandmate Tom Parker.

Previously, the 36-year-old said he had been diagnosed with “a 2:1 block in my heart”, where the heart beats more slowly or with an abnormal rhythm because of a problem with the electrical pulses.

Ten days ago George revealed he had been taken to hospital after feeling unwell and that is when issues with his heart were discovered.

On Saturday, George called his new pacemaker his “little friend” and described it as “the best Christmas present I could’ve ever wished for”.

The singer said the 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.”

He said the pacemaker’s position underneath his tattoo tribute to Tom Parker made him “sure it’s being looked after”.

George said he was undergoing a few more tests due to inflamed lymph nodes on his lungs but had been hopeful he would be home for Christmas.

He continued: “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.”

The British Heart Foundation has said an atrioventricular heart block is when the electrical impulses are delayed or blocked as they travel between the atria (the top chambers of the heart) and the ventricles (the bottom chambers).

Heart blocks are graded as first, second or third degree, depending on severity.

George rose to fame in the early 2010s, with bandmates Siva Kaneswaran, Nathan Sykes, Jay McGuiness and Tom Parker.

The Wanted announced a break in 2014 – and in 2022, George and Kaneswaran relaunched as a duo.

George also appeared in Strictly Come Dancing in 2020 where he first met his partner, actress Maisie Smith.

His bandmate Parker died from brain cancer, aged 33, in March 2022.