Emilia Clarke has praised the paramedics who kept her laughing on the way to hospital after she suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm.
The Game Of Thrones star has previously told how she had a potentially fatal brain haemorrhage in 2011 before having surgery that left her unable to recall her own name. In 2013, she had surgery for a second aneurysm on the other side of her brain.
Clarke, 33, told People magazine of her experience in 2011: “It was a brain aneurysm that ruptured and it was pretty traumatic.
“The paramedics were unbelievable. They’d given me drugs so I was in less pain, wrapped me up like a tortilla and made me laugh the whole way to the hospital.
“There I was, bleeding in the brain, and there we were in this ambulance having an absolute giggle. They were so gracious.”
“Every single nurse I came across was so kind,” said the actress.
“It’s why I became ambassador to the Royal College of Nursing in 2018. Nurses are the unsung heroes, they’re at people’s most frightening moments.”
After her health crisis, Clarke launched SameYou, a charity aimed at supporting people with brain injuries.
The actress – who played Daenerys Targaryen in the fantasy TV series – said: “People’s lives are transformed completely after a brain injury and the core of our work is recovery — it’s not just the first weeks that you need help, you still need help for years.
“I wanted to match someone with a consistent person who has the answers and can hold their hand and tell them that they’re not alone. Being there when someone is scared, confused or angry is one of the kindest things you can do.”