{"id":335173,"date":"2026-05-15T14:25:32","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T08:55:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=335173"},"modified":"2026-05-15T14:25:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T08:55:32","slug":"emilia-clarke-says-she-cheated-death-twice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/15\/emilia-clarke-says-she-cheated-death-twice\/","title":{"rendered":"Emilia Clarke Says She \u2018Cheated Death\u2019 Twice"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>Emilia Clarke<\/strong> was living what many actors would consider a dream after landing the career-defining role of Daenerys Targaryen on HBO\u2019s \u201c<strong>Game of Thrones<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Nonetheless, behind the fantasy series\u2019 massive success, the actress was quietly fighting for her life.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Years after first revealing she suffered two brain hemorrhages in the course of the show\u2019s run, Clarke is now opening up concerning the terrifying emotional aftermath.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>During a candid podcast appearance, the actress admitted she became convinced she was \u201cmeant to die\u201d after surviving the near-fatal medical emergencies.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Emilia Clarke on Imposter Syndrome, Brain Aneurysms, Recovery and the Pressure of Fame\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zSUqrOAMMDU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Emilia Clarke reflected on the frightening period shortly after ending the primary season of \u201cGame of Thrones,\u201d when her life modified almost overnight.<\/p>\n<p>The actress explained on the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zSUqrOAMMDU\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"(opens in a new tab)\">How To Fail with Elizabeth Day<\/a>\u201d podcast that she had been under intense stress as her profession suddenly exploded following the HBO series\u2019 breakout success.<\/p>\n<p>Not long afterward, Clarke collapsed while exercising at a London gym. \u201cThe closest thing to explain it&#8217;s imagine an elastic band just snapping around your brain,\u201d she said, adding, \u201cThis insane pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The actress recalled crawling to the toilet while in agonizing pain before realizing the situation was way more serious than she initially thought.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn that moment, I knew I used to be being brain damaged,\u201d Clarke admitted. On the time, she said she desperately tried to remain mentally focused because she feared losing the role she had worked so hard to land.<\/p>\n<p>Clarke repeatedly reminded herself she was \u201can actor\u201d while waiting for medical help to reach.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-clarke-faced-another-emergency-during-broadway-run\"><strong>Clarke Faced One other Emergency During Broadway Run<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large caption_belowImage credit_onImage mobile-image-full-width\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">MEGA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Years later, Emilia Clarke suffered a second aneurysm while living in Latest York and performing in a Broadway production.<\/p>\n<p>Doctors had been closely monitoring the aneurysm after discovering it during treatment for the primary hemorrhage. Nonetheless, Clarke explained that the surgery meant to repair the difficulty went terribly unsuitable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy parents were waiting for me, and the doctors would come down every half an hour and say, \u2018We predict she\u2019s going to die,\u2019\u201d the \u201cMe Before You\u201d star recalled.<\/p>\n<p>The second hemorrhage affected her emotionally in a way the primary one had not. \u201cThe most important thing that happened to me with the second brain hemorrhage was I shut down emotionally,\u201d she admitted.<\/p>\n<p>Clarke described becoming deeply disconnected from the skin world while fighting the invisible emotional effects of her brain injury.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just didn\u2019t want anyone to know,\u201d she said. The actress also became hyperaware of each headache afterward, consistently fearing one other medical emergency was happening.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-emilia-clarke-believed-she-had-cheated-death\"><strong>Emilia Clarke Believed She Had \u2018Cheated Death\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large caption_belowImage credit_onImage mobile-image-full-width\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1152\" src=\"https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=768,height=1152,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/MEGA600316_003-768x1152.jpg\" alt=\"Emilia Clarke at the 73rd British Academy Film Awards in London.\" class=\"wp-image-251561\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1365,height=2048,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/MEGA600316_003-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1024,height=1536,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/MEGA600316_003-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=768,height=1152,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/MEGA600316_003-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=683,height=1024,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/MEGA600316_003-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=200,height=300,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/MEGA600316_003-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=150,height=225,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/MEGA600316_003-150x225.jpg 150w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=150,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/MEGA600316_003-scaled.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 430px) 100px, 100vw\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">MEGA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Emilia Clarke revealed that surviving not one but two brain hemorrhages completely altered the way in which she viewed her life.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI used to be just convinced that I had cheated death and I used to be meant to die. Each day, that\u2019s all I could take into consideration,\u201d Clarke said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The 39-year-old explained that doctors initially struggled to know what was happening due to her age, even questioning whether drugs might have been involved.<\/p>\n<p>Eventually, a nurse really useful a brain scan, which led to Clarke being transferred to a specialist hospital. While recovering, the \u201cTerminator Genisys\u201d star became consumed with proving she was still capable of constant her work on \u201cGame of Thrones.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI used to be so ashamed that this thing had happened and that the individuals who had employed me might see me as weak or see me as something that could possibly be broken,\u201d Clarke explained.<\/p>\n<p>Although she informed the showrunners, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, concerning the hemorrhage, Clarke kept the experience largely hidden from the general public on the time.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large caption_belowImage credit_onImage mobile-image-full-width\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"969\" src=\"https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=768,height=969,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Emilia-Clarke-768x969.jpeg\" alt=\"Emilia Clarke at The Pod Generation Premiere - 2023 Sundance Film Festival\" class=\"wp-image-506197\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1623,height=2048,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Emilia-Clarke-1623x2048.jpeg 1623w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1217,height=1536,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Emilia-Clarke-1217x1536.jpeg 1217w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=811,height=1024,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Emilia-Clarke-811x1024.jpeg 811w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=768,height=969,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Emilia-Clarke-768x969.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=238,height=300,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Emilia-Clarke-238x300.jpeg 238w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=150,height=189,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Emilia-Clarke-150x189.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=150,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Emilia-Clarke-scaled.jpeg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 430px) 100px, 100vw\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">MEGA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Even while promoting certainly one of television\u2019s biggest shows, Emilia Clarke said fear consumed her.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Shortly after certainly one of her surgeries, the \u201cLast Christmas\u201d actress attended San Diego Comic-Con to assist promote \u201cGame of Thrones.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Looking back, Clarke admitted her mindset on the time was deeply dark. \u201cIf I\u2019m going to die, I\u2019ll do it on live TV,\u201d she remembered pondering. Despite the overwhelming fear,\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Clarke said, per <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/emilia-clarke-reflects-on-surviving-two-brain-hemorrhages-during-game-of-thrones-11975466\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"(opens in a new tab)\"><em>PEOPLE<\/em><\/a>, continuing to work became certainly one of the one things helping her emotionally survive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWithout my work, I don\u2019t know what I might have done,\u201d she admitted. The Emmy award winner also confessed that she was extremely harsh on herself during recovery and struggled to point out herself compassion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn&#8217;t deal with myself. I didn&#8217;t give myself any grace. All the things was like, \u2018You failed you,\u2019\u201d Clarke shared. Over time, nonetheless, she slowly began changing the way in which she viewed each herself and her recovery journey.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-emilia-clarke-now-helps-brain-injury-survivors-through-sameyou\"><strong>Emilia Clarke Now Helps Brain Injury Survivors Through SameYou<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large caption_belowImage credit_onImage mobile-image-full-width\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1152\" src=\"https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=768,height=1152,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/MEGA759399_091-768x1152.jpg\" alt=\"Emilia Clarke attends the 2018 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles, USA\" class=\"wp-image-280347\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1707,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/MEGA759399_091-scaled.jpg 1707w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1366,height=2048,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/MEGA759399_091-1366x2048.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1024,height=1536,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/MEGA759399_091-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=768,height=1152,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/MEGA759399_091-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=683,height=1024,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/MEGA759399_091-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=200,height=300,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/MEGA759399_091-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=150,height=225,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/MEGA759399_091-150x225.jpg 150w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=150,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/MEGA759399_091-scaled.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 430px) 100px, 100vw\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">MEGA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Clarke has since turned her painful experience into advocacy work focused on helping others recovering from brain injuries.<\/p>\n<p>In 2019, the actress and her mother, Jennifer, founded SameYou, a charity dedicated to supporting survivors fighting recovery and isolation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cConsidered one of the largest things I felt with a brain injury was profoundly alone,\u201d Clarke previously told the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bigissue.com\/culture\/emilia-clarke-brain-injury-sameyou-game-of-thrones\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"(opens in a new tab)\"><em>Big Issue<\/em><\/a> in 2024, adding, \u201cThat&#8217;s what we\u2019re attempting to overcome.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She said her understanding of what she endured has evolved significantly over time.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Clarke also reflected emotionally on how deeply \u201cGame of Thrones\u201d stays tied to that chapter of her life.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was lightning in a bottle. That was my youth. \u201d Clarke said on the podcast.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Emilia Clarke was living what many actors would consider a dream after landing the career-defining role of Daenerys Targaryen on HBO\u2019s \u201cGame of Thrones.\u201d\u00a0 Nonetheless, behind the fantasy series\u2019 massive success, the actress was quietly fighting for her life.\u00a0 Years after first revealing she suffered two brain hemorrhages in the course of the show\u2019s run, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":335174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[337],"tags":[12408,24892,2497,17485],"class_list":["post-335173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-cheated","tag-clarke","tag-death","tag-emilia"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=335173"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335173\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":335176,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335173\/revisions\/335176"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/335174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=335173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=335173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=335173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}