Gary Numan’s wife Gemma left paralysed after spinal surgery as she reveals she broke down when she realised she could no longer use her left hand – just months after tragic death of singer’s younger brother

Gary Numan’s wife, Gemma, announced that one of her arms was paralyzed due to a rare complication after spinal surgery for the treatment of a herniated disc.

Gemma, 57, took to Instagram on Thursday to share a photo of herself and music icon Gary, 67, walking in Kew Gardens in London.

‘I’m still healing [from] “The sadder outcome of left arm paralysis after multilevel discectomy,” he wrote about the surgery, which took place at the end of last year.

Multilevel discectomy is a surgical procedure in which damaged or herniated discs are removed from various levels of the spine to relieve pressure on surrounding nerves.

Paralysis is a very rare complication but is a known risk due to the surgery’s proximity to the spinal cord or nerve roots.

The news comes just months after the death of Gary’s younger brother John in November.

‘I’m still healing [from] ‘More saddening outcome of left arm paralysis after multilevel discectomy,’ he wrote about the surgery, which took place at the end of last year

In a separate post showing her lying in bed, Gemma revealed the paralysis occurred immediately following surgery on her cervical spine on December 11.

‘The left arm was immediately paralyzed! “This is one of the saddest things that can happen,” he added.

He said physiotherapy had helped him regain some movement in his lower arm and biceps, but there was ‘nothing’ in and around his shoulder.

The fact that Gemma is left-handed made the injury even more difficult.

He said he bought a small travel paint set to cheer himself up, but was devastated when he realized he couldn’t use it properly.

‘Come back, I cried and realized I couldn’t use it because I’m left-handed,’ he wrote.

‘I always tried turning the paper over too! It sucks but it’s happening with my forehand which no longer works with any control.’

Gemma, who shares three children with the Cars hitmaker, has not been able to return to the family home in Los Angeles since September. They arrived in the UK on 4 December, a week before the operation.

The couple, who married in 1997, have recently endured a difficult few months, including Gemma’s increasing health problems and the death of Gary’s younger brother John Webb; News the synthpop star received on stage during her tour last November.

In a separate post showing her lying in bed, Gemma revealed she was paralyzed immediately after surgery on her cervical spine on December 11.

In her candid post, Gemma said the surgery was one of three she has had since August and she is still facing another surgery.

In her candid post, Gemma said the surgery was one of three she has had since August and she is still facing another surgery.

She added: ‘I miss my animals so much. [me] I feel sick. Gary looked after me the entire time in the UK. And I’m Facetime babies. But animals are missed.

‘No one can understand how awful this is, not only is it glamorous, but my health is terrible, my animals have lost months with me.’

Gemma and Gary have three daughters, Raven, Persia and Echo, who live at the family home in Los Angeles.

Gemma also thanked Gary for putting his career on hold to look after her, writing: ‘She’s so bored of looking after me so much and it’s entirely my fault she’s falling behind on everything Numan to look after me.’

The spine surgery came after years of worsening health problems, which he first spoke about in detail last summer.

Last August, she announced that she was preparing to have five cervical discs removed and replaced, but said she was postponing the operation until after Gary’s tour ended in December.

At the time, he said a temporary spinal surgery gave him eight months of relief before ‘the neck pain and migraines returned’.

Gemma and Gary have three daughters, Raven, Persia and Echo, who live at the family home in Los Angeles (Gary and Gemma photographed with their children in 2019)

Gary’s younger brother John Webb passed away in November – news the synthpop star received while on stage during his tour last November

He also revealed that he had been diagnosed with nutcracker syndrome, a rare vascular disease in which his left renal vein becomes compressed, and that he was facing kidney autotransplantation, a complex surgery in which his own kidney would be repositioned inside his body.

Moreover, Gemma revealed that she was diagnosed with May-Thurner syndrome and pelvic congestion syndrome, another vascular condition that affects the veins in the pelvis.

He suggested that May-Thurner syndrome may have caused the blood clot that led to the mini-stroke he suffered in 2024.

‘I am a distorted nightmare! I hope it gets better!’ he wrote at the time.

In mid-2024, Gary revealed that Gemma was being treated for heart arrhythmia which caused her heart rate to rise to dangerously high levels, describing it as a “terrible time” for the family.