Emilia Clarke, renowned for her role as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones, has revealed she feared losing her job after suffering a brain bleed. The 37-year-old actress experienced the health crisis in a north London gym in 2011. Despite the severity of her condition, Clarke chose to keep her ordeal private from her colleagues on the show.
Clarke admitted she was concerned that the show’s producers might doubt her capability to continue her role. Her fears were exacerbated when doctors discovered a second brain hemorrhage in 2013, while she was still filming the series.
In a recent interview with the Big Issue, Clarke opened up about the challenges she faced returning to work after her brain injury. "When you have a brain injury, because it alters your sense of self on such a dramatic level, all of the insecurities you have going into the workplace quadruple overnight," she shared. "The first fear we all had was: 'Oh my god, am I going to get fired? Am I going to get fired because they think I'm not capable of completing the job?'"
Clarke returned to work just weeks after her first brain bleed but was haunted by the fear of another hemorrhage due to the intense stress and pressure of her high-profile job. Reflecting on that time, she said, "Well, if I'm going to die, I better die on live TV."
Following her recovery, Clarke and her mother, Jennifer Clarke, founded SameYou, a charity dedicated to supporting people with brain injuries. Their efforts were recognized earlier this year when both were made MBEs.
Clarke has been vocal about the fragile and scared state she was in after her brain injury and has since highlighted the inadequacies in rehabilitation services, a focus of her charity’s mission.