Michael Schumacher‘s racing driver nephew has married his racing driver girlfriend – but it was as much cause for heartbreak as celebration as his mother reveals she was snubbed from the big day.
David Schumacher, 24 – the son of Michael’s younger brother, six-time Grand Prix winner Ralf, 50 – tied the knot with Hungarian-born racing driver Vivien Keszthelyi, 25, on Friday at the historic Schloss Mirabell in Salzburg.
Only a small number of close friends and family were present for the civil ceremony, with the couple confirming the news by sharing romantic photos on Instagram of them embracing inside the palace’s ornate Marble Hall.
Officially Mr & Mrs,’ David captioned the post. ‘We said “I do” surrounded by the love of our family and closest friends – and it meant everything.’
But his mother Cora Schumacher, 49, was nowhere to be seen – and had no idea her son was even getting married until after the ceremony had taken place.
In a statement shared with the Daily Mail, Cora told of her heartbreak, saying she is ‘deeply saddened’ at being frozen out of her son’s big day.
‘David said “Mama” to me thousands of times a day when he was still a little boy,’ she said. ‘Every time he called out “Mama”, my heart would beat just that little bit faster, with nothing but joy and love. I believe every mother can understand that feeling.
wish nothing but the very best for my son. That has always been the case and it will always remain so. I hope he experiences the most beautiful day of his life to the fullest, and above all, that he is happy.’
She added: ‘As a mother, I am not angry with my son – I am simply deeply saddened that things are the way they are.’
Cora added that her new boyfriend, American Steven Bo Bekendam, 43, whom she met on a dating app, is helping her cope.
‘I am grateful to be in a wonderful relationship,’ she said. ‘Although it is a long-distance relationship between Germany and America, Steven gives me an incredible amount of strength and support during this difficult time.’
David and Cora’s relationship has been in tatters since her acrimonious split from Ralf in 2015 after 14 years of marriage, and things took a dramatic turn for the worse in 2024 when Ralf came out as gay and went public with his relationship with French politician Étienne Bousquet-Cassagne, 36.
Cora accused her ex-husband of betrayal, claiming she found out about his coming out at the same time as the rest of Germany.
David waded into the row with a blistering – and since deleted – Instagram post in which he begged his mother to ‘leave us alone and let us live our lives.’
He made a series of explosive allegations about his childhood, claiming Cora had threatened to destroy his dream of becoming a racing driver if he refused to live with her, and describing an incident in which he said police had to be called because she was ‘beating my father non-stop.’
He added: ‘I gave my mother several chances and tried several times to reconcile with her. Unfortunately, it never worked. I always refused because I don’t have the energy or the desire to go through the same thing again.’
For the ceremony, David looked sharp in a cream suit while his bride stunned in a white tulle gown with a floral strapless corsage and sweeping train.