On Game of Thrones, Emilia Clarke fought Dothraki, ice zombies, and Lannisters as the warrior queen Daenerys Targaryen for eight seasons. But, unknown to her fans and coworkers, the actress was also battling a private battle: she suffered two life-threatening brain aneurysms while making the programme, necessitating many operations and gruelling recoveries.

Clarke kept her health difficulties private until soon before the final season of Game of Thrones premiered.  She wrote a hugely acclaimed piece for The New Yorker about her battle for her health. Author James Hibberd describes how Clarke continued to work on the series while recovering from brain surgery.  In the excerpt from his new book, Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon: Game of Thrones and the Official Untold Story of the Epic Series author James depicted Emilia’s recovery journey.

Clarke had her first brain aneurysm on February 11, 2011, shortly after finishing the first season of Game of Thrones. She was working out in a gym. While working out, she began to experience “as though an elastic band were squeezing her brain,” she said. The actress was experiencing constant shooting, stabbing and constricting pain. She was immediately transported to the emergency department by ambulance in Whittington Hospital. She was later treated in the Victor Horsley Ward at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in Queen Square, London.

After an MRI scan, she was detected with a subarachnoid haemorrhage. Emilia said that it was a life-threatening stroke that happened due to bleeding in the brain. She had an aneurysm, an arterial rupture. Doctors had to perform 3 hours of surgery called endovascular coiling. During this procedure, a wire is threaded through the femoral artery in the groyne. Following the heart, it ascends until it reaches the brain, where it cures the aneurysm.

Emilia expressed that the recovery after the first brain surgery was very painful. She was nauseated, her vision was unclear, and she was losing her memory. She was going through constant pain in the head which was unbearable. But doctors and the entire staff of NHS, London stood through thick and thin with her. She got discharged after a month of being in the hospital.

Emilia was soon coming back on track but in 2013, Emilia suffered a second brain aneurysm. She was scheduled to undergo less extensive surgery to remove the second tumour because it had doubled in size in the NHS hospital. She was hospitalised for a month, but she had a difficult time recovering. “At some moments, I gave up on hope. I was unable to meet anyone’s eyes. Panic attacks and acute anxiety were present, according to Clarke. Even so, she was “convinced that she wasn’t going to live.” But a few weeks later, she was in San Diego for Comic-Con with the Game of Thrones ensemble. Clarke claims that she has already recovered “far beyond my wildest expectations”.

Emilia thanked the entire staff and doctors at NHS Hospital, London by publishing sending a letter that got published in Sunday Times. She appreciated the efforts of doctors, nurses staff who cleaned her vomit, washed her and cooked delicious meals. After experiencing two brain aneurysms, the Game of Thrones star recovered stronger. She is committed to helping those with brain injuries, and her charity, SameYou, is a reflection of her strength and commitment.