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For eight seasons, Emilia Clarke has projected confidence and power as Daenerys Targaryen, mother of dragons and conquering queen on HBO's superhit series Game of Thrones.
However, in an intimate essay for The New Yorker in March, Clarke revealed that she had actually suffered two brain aneurysms during the show's history: one in 2011, just after filming the first season, and another in 2013 after finishing season three.
In a new interview with CBS this morning, Clarke opened up about the aneurysms and revealed part of her brain actually died during the second health scare.
Emilia Clarke on health scare: "There was a bit of my brain that actually died"youtu.be
In the interview, Clarke explained how the lack of blood flow during her second aneurysm caused permanent brain damage:
"So, with the second one, there was a bit of my brain that actually died. If a part of your brain doesn't get blood to it for a minute, it will just no longer work. It's like you short-circuit. So, I had that."
Joking around, the actress said she believed she'd lost her taste in good men:
"I always say it's my taste in men … That's the part of my brain [I lost], my decent taste in men."
On a more serious note, however, Clarke said that for many years she harbored fears that she had lost her ability to act:
"For a very long time, I thought it was my ability to act … That was a deep paranoia. I was like, 'What if something has short-circuited in my brain and I can't act anymore?' I mean, literally it's been my reason for living for a very long time."
Fans on Twitter were inspired by Clarke's strength and resilience:
One can only imagine what experiencing multiple brain aneurysms in your early 20's must be like, especially knowing your first major TV show is about to premiere.
Fortunately, Clarke has managed to make a full recovery and her acting is better than ever!
Though Game of Thrones's final season begins this Sunday, April 14, Clarke is ready for whatever life throws at her!
"I can't wait for the next thing, the next decade. Literally can't wait for it."