Emilia Clarke on her brain aneurysms: 'I shouldn't be able to talk'

Emilia Clarke has revealed there are parts of her brain missing after she suffered two aneurysms in her twenties.

The actress rose to fame in 2011 after being cast as Daenerys Targaryen in HBO epic Game of Thrones, but that same year her first aneurysm ruptured causing a stroke.

Then, in 2013, she had a second aneurysm surgically treated.

Emilia spoke about her experience during an appearance on BBC show Sunday Morning over the weekend.

"You gain a lot of perspective. The amount of my brain that is no longer usable – it’s remarkable that I am able to speak, sometimes articulately, and live my life completely normally with absolutely no repercussions," the 35-year-old marvelled. “I am in the really, really, really small minority of people that can survive that.”

“There’s quite a bit missing! Which always makes me laugh,” she added after seeing a scan of her brain. “Because strokes, basically, as soon as any part of your brain doesn’t get blood for a second, it’s gone. And so the blood finds a different route to get around but then whatever bit it’s missing is therefore gone.”

Emilia is currently treading the boards in London starring in The Seagull, which marks her West End debut.

Luckily, her previous health battles haven’t had a lasting impact on her most important tool as an actress – her memory.

“I can do a two and a half hour play every single night and not forget a line,” she said. “I always had a good memory because it’s the only skill as an actor… so your memory is obviously incredibly important and I consistently tested that.”