Emilia Clarke Reveals Part of Her Brain Are ‘Missing’ After Having Aneurysms
Emilia Clarke is opening up about her near-fatal battle with two aneurysms, saying that it left her with pieces of her brain “missing.”
Per Entertainment Weekly, Clarke, 35, was dealing with aneurysms during the production of Game of Thrones in 2011 and 2013, and in a new interview, she described the repercussions following her fight for survival. The actress revealed, “The amount of my brain that is no longer usable — it’s remarkable that I am able to speak, sometimes articulately, and live my life completely normally with absolutely no repercussion.”
The star added that she is one of very few to survive this type of aneurysm. “I am in the really, really, really small minority of people that can survive that,” she said, adding that brain scans reflect her diminished brain functions. “There’s quite a bit missing! Which always makes me laugh. Because strokes, basically, as soon as any part of your brain doesn’t get blood for a second, it’s gone. And so the blood finds a different route to get around but then whatever bit it’s missing is therefore gone.”
In an essay for The New Yorker in 2019, Clarke recounted that while filming for the HBO series, “I was in the middle of my very busy life—I had no time for brain surgery. But, finally, I settled down and signed. And then I was unconscious. For the next three hours, surgeons went about repairing my brain. This would not be my last surgery, and it would not be the worst. I was twenty-four years old.”
Following her essay, fans organized a fundraiser for SameYou, a charity Clarke helped found that assists those recovering from strokes and brain injuries. In an emotional video on Instagram, Clarke thanked her supporters for the “extraordinary” gift. “I’m so incredibly moved and blown away and grateful and thank you and thank you and thank you!”
