Emilia Clarke Feared Dying ‘On Live TV’ After Brain Aneurysms

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Emilia Clarke is reflecting on her brain injuries and how they might have impacted her career, or could have led to her death.

The 37-year-old “Game of Thrones” star, who played Daenerys Targaryen in the hit HBO series from 2011 to 2019 suffered two aneurysms — in 2011 and 2013. She continued to work, but in an interview with the U.K. magazine the Big Issue, admitted to having insecurities about how her health would affect that.

“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,” Clarke told the outlet.

“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?’ ” she said.

Compounding her fears, Clarke shared that she worried that the stress and pressure might lead her to suffer another brain hemorrhage. She recalled thinking, “Well, if I’m going to die, I better die on live TV.”

In 2019, Clarke and her mother, Jennifer, founded a brain injury recovery charity, SameYou. Opening up about why she established the charity, Clarke admitted she felt so alone — something which she hopes to help others overcome through the organization.

“Having a chronic condition that diminishes your confidence in this one thing you feel is your reason to live is so debilitating and so lonely,” she said, adding, “One of the biggest things I felt with a brain injury was profoundly alone. That is what we’re trying to overcome.”

Clarke previously spoke about the brain surgeries she underwent, and how it made her rethink the concept of beauty, in a 2021 interview with People.

“The happy moments and being happy is what you’re going to see on your death bed,” she said. “You’re not going to remember the times when you took that super cute selfie.

“After the surgery, because I felt so scared and under-confident, I was putting all of that into how I looked,” Clarke continued. “As I got older, I realized that people are at their most beautiful when they’re not thinking about themselves and considering their own beauty.”