Michael Caine Health Updates Claim He's 'Frail,' But Here's What's Going On

A tabloid recently reported on Michael Caine's failing health, claiming that the Tenet star is supposedly too frail to walk again.  According to the National Enquirer via Suggest, Caine's friends are concerned about his long-term health. He has apparently become frail and has trouble walking. He was spotted using a walker earlier in the summer. The veteran actor recently underwent spinal stenosis surgery and has already admitted to likely retiring from acting.

"Michael has looked quite terrible in recent public appearances," an insider told the outlet. "He seems to have aged very rapidly with the surgery and de facto acting retirement. He's got everyone very worried about what comes next."

Spinal stenosis occurs when the spaces between your spine's bones narrow, putting pressure on your spine's nerves. The condition can affect a person's ability to walk and their balance or make them feel numb. Also, it can lead to arm and leg weakness and soreness in the lower back when standing. 

Caine was pictured in the tabloid using a cane and a walker. The Inception star used a walker for help as a temporary measure while he recovered from his major surgery. He has used a cane to get around after breaking his ankle in a 2018 accident. 

In January, Caine appeared on BBC Radio 2  and discussed his health issues in more detail."I have a spine problem which affects my leg, so I can't walk very well," he explained. "And I also wrote a couple of books, which were published and were successful."

"I'm now not an actor, I'm a writer, which is lovely because as an actor, you have to get up, out by six in the morning and go to the studio. The writer, you just start writing without leaving the bed."

According to Caine, his impending retirement decision is primarily driven by his age, which will determine whether he will continue acting."There haven't been any offers obviously for two years because nobody's been making any movies I'd want to do," he added."But also, you know, I'm 88, and there's not exactly scripts pouring out with the leading man who's 88, you know?"

In an interview with Variety, he later seemed to retract his previous comments, where he maintained that he would not retire anytime soon. Caine said, "Regarding retirement, I've spent over 50 years getting up at 6 a.m. to make movies, and I'm not getting rid of my alarm clock!"

Regardless of health complications, Caine has starred in several movies and has other projects in the works.Though National Enquirer thought Best Sellers would probably be his last film, Caine has already completed work on the historical epic Medieval. He will also star as the lead in the upcoming movie The Great Escaper, and has Now You See Me 3 coming up as well.