Emilia Clarke has opened up about one of the most painful moments in her life. Game of Thrones star recently reflected on surviving two brain hemorrhages while working on the hit HBO fantasy series.
Emilia Clarke talks about surviving two brain hemorrhages
She opened up about the experience while appearing on the How To Fail with Elizabeth Day podcast (via PEOPLE). Clarke explained that the traumatic health scares left her constantly thinking about death.
She said, “I was just convinced that I had cheated death and I was meant to die. Every day, that’s all I could think about.” She said the first brain hemorrhage happened shortly after finishing the show’s first season. Clarke collapsed during a workout session at a London gym after dealing with stress in her career and personal life.
“The closest thing to describe it is imagine an elastic band just snapping around your brain. This insane pressure,” Clarke said. She recalled vomiting from the pain before realizing, “In that moment, I knew I was being brain damaged.”
While waiting for medical help, Clarke kept reminding herself she was a actor. She feared losing her dream role. Doctors initially struggled to identify the hemorrhage. A brain scan later confirmed it.
However, Clarke focused on convincing HBO she could continue filming Game of Thrones. “I was so ashamed that this thing had happened and that the people who had employed me might see me as weak or see me as something that could be broken.”
The actress also revealed that she only informed showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss about the medical emergency while keeping the situation private from most people around her. “I just didn’t want anyone to know,” she said
Following her recovery, Clarke launched the brain injury recovery charity SameYou in 2019. The organization focuses on improving neurorehabilitation. It also works to reduce loneliness for survivors. SameYou supports long-term recovery after brain injuries.
