'Game of Thrones' Star Thought She'd 'Done Something Wrong' After Having 'Cheated Death'

Emilia Clarke was left with serious physical and mental side effects after her near-death experience with two brain hemorrhages.

The Game of Thronesactress, 39, recently opened up about the aftermath of her traumatic health scares, which happened right as her career took off with her role as Daenerys Targaryen on the HBO hit, at Variety‘s Power of Women London event on Wednesday, June 3.

"For a number of years, I felt that I had cheated death, and it was coming to get me," Clarke said while speaking about her charity SameYou, which provides mental health support for brain bleed survivors. "I truly felt like I had done something wrong, and I shouldn't be here. I also thought it ruined my ability to act-which some people might agree with!"



After suffering brain hemorrhages at age 22 and 24, the Ponies actress said she was working so much that she couldn't process the trauma of what she had gone through.

"I never had the chance to reflect on what my two brain traumas had done to me because I could walk, talk, be myself, remember my lines and was back on camera within weeks of both brain injuries," she shared, revealing that she was quick to dismiss her hormonal problems, anxiety and broken bones as being caused by stress,

"Surely that's normal working in our image-obsessed industry? Breaking a rib after filming a sex scene? Well, maybe that was his fault," she recalled thinking. "But sometimes even blacking out after long night shoots? The pain all over my body? I didn't even think I should find out why."

Now, Clarke understands the "extraordinarily complex" impact of brain injuries, saying that while they can "leave you frightened and convinced you'll never be who you were again," recovery back to one's self "is possible."

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This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 6:17 AM.