In a personal essay published in The New Yorker in March 2019, Emilia Clarke revealed to the public that she had suffered two life-threatening brain hemorrhages throughout the course of her acting career.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, the “Game of Thrones” star opened up about her condition and why she’s grateful for it.
“I definitely think of the brain hemorrhage as a good thing,” Clarke said. “Having a brain hemorrhage that coincided precisely with the beginning of my career and the beginning of a show that became something quite meaty, it gave me a perspective that I wouldn’t have otherwise.”
After suffering her first brain hemorrhage following the filming of the first season of “Game of Thrones,” Clarke underwent her first of two surgeries, according to Fox News.
After recovering and returning to set in 2013, Clarke learned of a second aneurysm and, subsequently, underwent her second surgery.
The “Last Christmas” star also spoke on how her brain hemorrhages and the loss of her father in 2016 have made her a stronger person.
“I’m quite a resilient human being,” she said. “So a parent dying and brain hemorrhages coinciding with success and people following you in the street and getting stalkers — you’re just, like, ‘Well let’s try and make something sensible of it.’”