Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke has revealed "quite a bit" of her brain is missing after two aneurysms whilst filming the popular HBO series.
The Daenerys Targaryen actress, 35, opened up about her terrifying experiences after falling ill on two occasions when she was on the set of Game of Thrones in 2011 and 2013.
Emilia underwent surgery on the back of each aneurysm and while speaking on BBC's Sunday Morning, she spoke about how it is "remarkable" that she is able to continue with her life as normal following the life-threatening ordeals.
She told host Sophie Raworth: "It was just the most excruciating pain, huge vomiting, trying to regain consciousness; I kept asking myself all these questions.
"I hilariously kept saying lines from the show in my head. If you are throwing up and you have a headache, that is not good for your brain.
"I was 22 [when she had the first aneurysm] but it was helpful having Game of Thrones to sweep me up and give me that purpose.
"The amount of my brain that is no longer usable – it’s remarkable that I am able to speak, sometimes articulately, and live my life completely normally with absolutely no repercussions.
“I am in the really, really, really small minority of people that can survive that."
Clarke then revealed doctors have shown her scans of her brain and the results left her gobsmacked at how extraordinary the human body actually is.
She added: "There’s quite a bit missing, which always makes me laugh!
"Because strokes, basically, as soon as any part of your brain doesn’t get blood for a second, it’s gone.
"And so the blood finds a different route to get around but then whatever bit it’s missing is therefore gone. It kind of shows how little of our brains we actually use."
She starred in all eight seasons of Game of Thrones which last from 2011 and 2019 as Daenerys Targaryen, where she became one of the hit show's most popular characters.
Emilia founded charity SameYou in 2019 for people who have suffered with brain injuries like herself and focuses on their emotional and mental health recovery.
In the following year, she was presented with the Public Leadership in Neurology award by the American Brain Foundation for her efforts in raising awareness about neurorehabilitation.
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@mirror.co.uk or call us direct 0207 29 33033.
