Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke opens up about surviving 2 brain aneurysms in emotional essay

Emilia Clarke.
(Image credit: Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images)

Emilia Clarke has just revealed in a powerful essay that she has survived two life-threatening brain aneurysms since her work on Game of Thrones began.

In an essay for The New Yorker published Thursday, Clarke, who plays Daenerys Targaryen, writes that in February 2011, two months before the first season's premiere, she suffered a type of stroke that kills one-third of patients, and was rushed to the hospital after experiencing a "shooting, stabbing, constricting pain." Following a three-hour surgery, Clarke says she suffered from aphasia and couldn't even remember her name. "In my worst moments, I wanted to pull the plug," she writes. "I asked the medical staff to let me die."

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.