Huge 'Game of Thrones' Star Lays Bare Brutal Emotional Impact of Health Battle That Almost Ended Their Life

Emilia Clarke has spoken candidly about the devastating psychological toll of the brain aneurysms, which nearly killed her, revealing she became convinced she was "meant to die" after surviving two life-threatening medical emergencies at the height of her Game of Thrones fame.

OK! can reveal the 39-year-old actress revisited her health battle during a recent podcast appearance, reflecting on the emotional isolation and fear following her surgeries in 2011 and 2013.

Clarke suffered two brain aneurysms while starring as Daenerys Targaryen in HBO's blockbuster fantasy drama Game of Thrones, with the first incident triggering a stroke and emergency surgery. The second aneurysm resulted in a failed procedure and what she later described as a "massive bleed."

Speaking about the aftermath, Clarke admitted she struggled to reconnect with the outside world and lived in constant fear another collapse was imminent.

Discussing the trauma on the podcast, Clarke said: "It became this thing where I just couldn't look anyone in the eye. It just cuts you off from the outside world because you're walking around knowing that your body has failed you. Your brain has failed you. This thing that you know to be where your perception of yourself lies has failed you. And no one else can see it."

Clarke explained the second operation had a profoundly different emotional impact from the first. Rather than feeling relief, she said she became overwhelmed by the sense she had somehow escaped death against impossible odds.

The actress recalled believing she had "cheated death" and "wasn't meant to be here," adding she constantly feared "this is going to come and get me."

Sources close to the actor said the psychological impact lingered long after her physical recovery.

One insider told us: "Emilia carried enormous fear for years afterward. Every headache became terrifying to her because she genuinely thought another aneurysm was happening. It changed the way she saw herself and the way she moved through the world."

Another source said Clarke often masked her anxiety while continuing demanding promotional and filming schedules.

The insider said: "She was under extraordinary pressure to keep functioning publicly while privately believing she might not survive. Emilia became very good at pretending she was okay even when she was emotionally exhausted."

Clarke admitted during her recovery she pushed herself forward because she felt there was no alternative.

Recalling one moment when she warned her publicist she thought she was "going to die" before completing an MTV interview anyway, she said: "There was no other option but to carry on. I was raised by a family that did not partake in self-pity."

Looking back now, Clarke believes she failed to show herself compassion during the traumatic period of her life. She said she did "not take care of" herself and did not allow herself enough "grace" while recovering from the operations.

The actress first publicly disclosed her aneurysms in a deeply personal 2019 essay.

In the piece, she revealed doctors warned her survival chances were uncertain unless they performed another operation using invasive surgery through her skull.

Clarke later explained parts of her skull were replaced with titanium during the recovery process, which she described as "gruesome."

In 2022, Clarke shocked viewers during an appearance on the BBC when she revealed "quite a bit" of her brain was missing as a result of the damage caused by the aneurysms.

She said: "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."