Now, Schumacher's former partner Brinkmann has opened up on her ex-husband's public coming out, suggesting that the German had always denied having any feelings towards men.
"Of course I spoke to him about it," she said in a teary interview with Der Spiegel.
"These rumours got worse and worse over the years. As a result, I naturally felt more and more torn because I no longer knew whether my head was playing tricks on me. But Ralf was always my most important advisor. I trusted him, blindly. And that's why his word was my law."
The pair were married in 2001 until their divorce in 2015, and Brinkmann has now suggested that she would have rather found out from the ex-F1 driver before his Instagram post, claiming she was blindsided.
"But how should I deal with the fact that Ralf didn't talk to me before he came out and said, for example: 'Be careful, Cora. I'm sorry' or 'I didn't know how to tell you' or 'I really loved you'," Brinkmann continued.
"Nothing. That was such a stab in the heart for me. Because a coming out always affects those around you, including the ex-wife with whom you have a child. And yes, I wish Ralf had included me or at least told me about it. I would have seen that as a sign of respect. Instead, I found out about his coming out from the media.
"I feel used," she admitted. "Robbed of my best years. Was he honest with me? And most importantly: did he even love me?"