Emilia Clarke has shared that she’s been battling a dangerous health problem that almost ended her life. She stated that there is a “quite a bit missing” parts of her brain.

The Game of Thrones star felt the “most excruciating pain” from suffering two separate aneurysms in 2011 and 2013. She stated an amount of her brain is no longer usable.

She continued that it is remarkable that she is able to speak articulately and live her life normally. Emilia Clarke first opened up about her aneurysms in 2019 in an essay titled a battle for my life.

She was first hospitalized after wrapping up the first season of Game of Thrones. She then had brain surgery.

After season 3 of the show, she had scans of her brain that showed a growth on the other side that had doubled in size and needed to have another surgery.

She said that she woke up in pain screaming after the second surgery.

“The procedure had failed. I had a massive bleed and the doctors made it plain that my chances of surviving were precarious if they didn't operate again. This time they needed to access my brain in an old-fashioned way—through my skull. And the operation had to happen immediately,” Emilia stated.

After the aneurysms, she had aphasia, a language disorder that affects how a person communicates. Since then, she has created a charity to help others. SameYou is a charity that aids stroke and brain injury victims.

Image via Getty/Mike Marsland