Featured Image Credit: Mike Marsland/WireImage/HBO
Topics: Celebrity, Health, Game Of Thrones, TV And Film
Rhianna Benson
Topics: Celebrity, Health, Game Of Thrones, TV And Film
Emilia Clarke says that she is missing 'quite a bit' of her brain after surviving two brain aneurysms while filming Game of Thrones.
The British actor is well-known for her portrayal as Queen Daenerys Targaryen in the HBO fantasy hit show, as well as her roles in Me Before You and Last Christmas.
However, months into filming the first series of GOT in 2011 - the 37-year-old suffered a subarachnoid haemorrhage caused by a ruptured aneurysm, which required the star to undergo surgery.
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An aneurysm is caused by a weakness in the blood vessel wall, usually where it branches, which results in a bulge in the blood vessel, according to the NHS.
Most only cause noticeable symptoms if they burst, such as a sudden headache, stiff neck and sickness - at which point it is considered a medical emergency.
The NHS also says that only around 1 in 15,000 people have a ruptured brain aneurysm in England each year.
In 2013, Emilia suffered a second aneurysm, and underwent surgery a second time.
During an appearance on BBC's Sunday Morning, the GOT star heaped praise on doctors for helping her to live a normal life again, as well as revealing that parts of her brain were 'no longer usable' due to permanent damage.
"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 repercussions," she said.
"I am in the really, really, really small minority of people that can survive that.”
The actor went on to discuss the look of her brain scans in the wake of the aneurysms, saying: "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."
As a result of her aneurysms, Emilia had aphasia, a condition where a person has difficulty with speech, and for a short while, was even unable to remember her own name.
Thankfully, her memory has not been affected long-term.
It wasn't until 2019 that Emilia first opened up about her condition, writing of her harrowing experience in an article for the New Yorker.
"I reached the toilet, sank to my knees, and proceeded to be violently, voluminously ill," she wrote.
"Meanwhile, the pain—shooting, stabbing, constricting pain—was getting worse. At some level, I knew what was happening: my brain was damaged."
She continued: "For the patients who do survive, urgent treatment is required to seal off the aneurysm, as there is a very high risk of a second, often fatal bleed.
"If I was to live and avoid terrible deficits, I would have to have urgent surgery. "And, even then, there were no guarantees."
Emilia set the charity 'Same You' with her mother to support those recovering from brain conditions - with the mother and daughter receiving MBEs for their charity work.