Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke shocked fans when she revealed she thought she was going to die after suffering a brain bleed.
The 37-year-old actress suffered two brain aneurysms after making her debut on the HBO drama series in 2011.
Since then, Emilia has founded the charity SameYou to help people recovering from brain injuries and strokes.
She was also appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her brain injury charity work.
Here you can find out more about Emilia's health battle and how she is doing today.
Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke shocked fans when she revealed she thought she was going to die after suffering a brain bleed
Her second bleed in 2013 required surgery after scans showed it had doubled in size, and Emilia told she was among the “minority” who survived and suffered “no effects”.
Emilia was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm
Emilia first suffered a brain haemorrhage in 2011, shortly after filming finished on the first season of Game Of Thrones, and lost her ability to speak as she almost fell into a coma.
Her second bleed in 2013 required surgery after scans showed it had doubled in size, and Emilia had previously told how she was among the “really small minority” of people who survived and had “no impact”.
What is a brain aneurysm?
A brain aneurysm is a bulge or bloating blood vessel.
This can leak and cause bleeding in the brain, which can be life-threatening.
Symptoms of a ruptured aneurysm include:
- Sudden, severe headache
- Nausea and vomiting
- Stiff neck
- Blurred or double vision
- Sensitivity to light
- seizure
- Drooping eyelid
- confusion
- unconsciousness
An intact aneurysm may not have any symptoms and may not require treatment.
The causes of brain aneurysms are often unclear.
Risk factors include high blood pressure, smoking, heavy alcohol consumption and old age.
Treatment may include surgery or medication to restore blood flow and relieve pain.
Source: Mayo Clinic
She suffered the subarachnoid hemorrhage after an aneurysm – a weak spot in a blood vessel – ruptured on the surface of her brain.
They most commonly occur in people between the ages of 45 and 70 and can cause extreme fatigue, trouble sleeping, headaches, vision problems, and loss of movement. However, Emilia previously said that she was not affected by this.
This experience led Emilia and her mother Jennifer to set up the charity SameYou to raise funds and improve access to neurorehabilitation after brain injuries and strokes.
Treatment
Emilia has discussed surgery to restore blood flow and medication to relieve pain.
Her life-saving treatment has resulted in her wearing titanium instead of skull pieces and scars.
How is Emilia now?
Emilia has spoken openly about surviving two brain aneurysms and previously admitted she was “more afraid of being discharged than dying.”
Last month she told Harper's Bazaar: “I wasn't afraid of dying.” I was afraid of getting fired! I decided, “This is not something that's going to define me.” I never gave in to the feeling of, “Why me?” That sucks. I just thought – I have to get going again.
“If I'm being completely honest, the whole thing left me very embarrassed. Like I'm broken. As if the producers had to think I was an unreliable person that they hired.
“If I hadn't had a brain hemorrhage, I might have been a real old idiot who thought I was awesome and living in Hollywood.” I'm much more aware of what's happening in the moment it's happening.
“I don't worry about failures – I thrive on failures!” When something goes wrong, I always think that it can be fixed. It hurts, it’s scary, but then you can do anything.”
In July 2022, Emilia explained that she could no longer speak after two aneurysms left parts of her brain “unusable.”
She told Sophie Raworth on BBC1's Sunday Morning: “You gain a lot of perspective.” “The amount of my brain that's no longer usable… There's a lot missing that always makes me laugh.”
Emilia has spoken openly about surviving two brain aneurysms and previously admitted she was “more afraid of being fired than dying” (pictured in Game Of Thrones in 2011).
Emilia founded the charity SameYou to help people recovering from brain injuries and strokes
Emilia was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) alongside her mother Jenny for their brain injury charity work
MBE and charity work
Emilia was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) alongside her mother Jenny for their brain injury charity work.
After Emilia survived two brain bleeds, the actress and her mother Jenny decided to set up the brain injury recovery charity SameYou.
Emilia and her mother Jenny have now been recognized for their charity work by being appointed MBEs in the New Year Honours.
Emilia said it was “life-enhancing and magical” to see her mother, who also underwent surgery to remove a brain aneurysm, recognized for her charity work alongside her.
She said: “It's such an incredible honour, such an incredible privilege and the most important thing for us is that it benefits everyone with a brain injury.”
“To have that near-death experience and to have gone through the darkness of it all and then come out of it, that’s very lucky for us.”