Emilia Clarke says she suffered first brain aneurysm at 22: 'I felt like death was coming for me'
Actress Emilia Clarke, the star of the series “Game of Thrones”, gave an emotional speech at a gala about strong women in London, explaining how she managed to overcome the fact that she suffered two brain hemorrhages in her early 20s, reports Variety.
The now 39-year-old actress opened up about her experience and even joked about how it affected her career.
“For several years, I felt like I had cheated death and it was going to come after me. I really felt like I had done something wrong and I shouldn't be here,” Emilia Clarke told the audience.
“I also thought it affected my ability to play – which some people might agree with!” she joked. His recent roles include the 2023 sci-fi film The Pod Generation and the TV series Secret Invasion and Ponies. The two series are broadcast in streaming in Romania by Disney+, respectively SkyShowtime.
Emilia Clarke says she has been overwhelmed by people's reaction
Outside of acting, Clarke and her mother founded the charity SameYou in 2019 after the actress went public with her ordeal, with the aim of helping other stroke survivors.
“When I finally shared my story in 2019, we were overwhelmed by people's reaction,” she said at the Power of Women London gala. “Primarily, young people have contacted us to tell us their own stories. Today we have tens of thousands of survivors in our community who say essentially the same thing: the road to recovery feels like falling off the edge of a cliff with no one there to catch you,” she pointed out.
“I was 22 when I had my first brain aneurysm. I was 24 when I had my second. I also filmed the first season of Game of Thrones when I was 22, and I made my Broadway debut when I was 24. I'd like to blame the brain hemorrhage for the bad reviews, but it happened after the show ended a little too soon…” she added.
The famous actress has spoken several times in recent years about her health problems
“This is the truth: one in three people will suffer a brain injury at some point in their life, and if you survive a brain trauma, you might expect to be healed and resume your life as normal. But you would be wrong,” said the actress whose role as Daenerys Targaryen in the series “Game of Thrones” made her an internationally recognized star.
She has spoken out several times in recent years about her health issues, trying to encourage those in a similar situation.
In an interview with the Big Issue magazine in 2024, she highlighted how brain injuries can affect the self-image of those left with trauma.
She also said that at one point she asked the doctors to let her die because she was afraid that she would never be able to play again.
“When you have a brain injury, because it affects your self-image so dramatically, all your insecurities that you have going into work quadruple overnight,” she explained.
“Am I going to be fired? I'm going to be fired because they (not the producers) don't think I'm capable of finishing the job. Well, if I'm going to die, I'd rather die on TV,” she recounted some of her thoughts from that time.
