At 24, Emilia Clarke thought, “I had no time for brain surgery.” In her March 21, 2019 essay “A Battle for My Life,” the Game of Thrones actress said a ruptured aneurysm caused a subarachnoid hemorrhage in 2011. An aneurysm is a weakened, bulging area of a brain blood vessel; rupture can cause bleeding around the brain.
She described crushing head pain during a February 11 gym session, followed by vomiting. She signed the surgery release and underwent 3 hours of treatment through an artery.
When she later struggled to speak and couldn’t recall her name, her mother tried to reassure her she was lucid.
Clarke wrote that a second aneurysm doubled in size by 2013. An attempted coiling procedure failed, a major bleed followed, and further surgery left her with titanium replacing part of her skull.
Her recovery accounts differ: the 2019 essay puts her discharge at 1 month; in a December 29, 2023 interview, she said 3 weeks, followed by a return within 24 hours because she was terrified.
In her June 14, 2024 interview, Clarke said she felt healthy and described the emotional recovery behind her brain-injury advocacy: “They fix your brain but no one fixes your mind.” She added, “You hear someone speak about things that are relatable and it suddenly makes you realise you’re allowed to ask for help.”