The Heart-wrenching Reason Why Emilia Clarke Once Felt She’s “Incredibly Unattractive”

It’s a sad week for Game of Thrones fans as the decade-long show finally comes to an end. While many are eager to see which character gets to sit on the Iron Throne, at last, others are heartbroken to say goodbye to their favorite actors like Kit Harington, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, and Emilia Clarke.

Aside from their superb acting skills, these stars are admired for their beauty which is why it was difficult for us to grasp that they, too, feel insecurities about their appearance at times.

First, it was Sophie Turner who opened up about her struggles with depression and identity crisis for years. Now, another GoT star revealed her battle with anxiety and depression due to her self-esteem. According to Emilia Clarke, she felt incredibly ugly after undergoing two life-threatening brain surgeries.

The Confession

In an interview with Stylist, the 32-year old famous GoT actress Emilia Clarke revealed she felt “incredibly unattractive” after having two major brain surgeries. Clarke first opened up about her brain aneurysms earlier this year, but the actress’ health struggles date back to 2011 when she had her first stroke.

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Clarke reveals her face got swollen after her surgery and it caused her self-confidence to dip.

The actress can still remember how her body was pumped up with medications which led to some serious (and unattractive) side effects. The water retention in her body caused half of her face to get swollen. Not only did it make her feel incredibly unattractive, but she could see the pain behind her eyes.

The Struggle

Clarke was insecure about her appearance that she even stopped looking at the mirror for a while. The actress said she couldn’t believe her own reflection whenever she looked at herself in the mirror, so she had it removed from her house.

The actress suffered two brain aneurysm in the last 10 years

Without a mirror, Emilia struggled to put on her makeup, which she claimed made her appearance even worse and knocked down her confidence further.

The Surgeries

The Mother of Dragons further revealed that she had her first stroke while working out in the gym and was taken to the emergency room right away. She underwent surgery for three hours and felt unbearable pain after she woke up. Clarke recalls that her vision became constricted and she could barely see anything when she woke up. The doctors had inserted a tube down her throat which made her she feel extremely nauseous and thirsty.  

After a month in the hospital, Clarke was given clearance by the doctors to get back on the Game of Thrones’ set to film the season. The actress thought her struggles were now over. However, she had another brain aneurysm while shooting for the third season, this time, it was double in size, leaving Clark with no other choice but to undergo another surgery. Some part of her skull was replaced with titanium metal during the procedure but fans couldn’t spot it underneath her thick blond weave.

The Realization

After Emilia Clarke had her second surgery, she realized her physical appearance doesn’t define her beauty. Thanks to her family and friends’ support, she recovered from the health scare and her insecurities after six long years.

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The actress never forgets to smile and appreciates how she’s still alive after surviving two major brain operations.

Clarke now knows self-loathing and pity won’t make someone beautiful, no matter how perfect their hair and makeup are. Instead of fussing over her appearance, the actress focuses on her inner beauty and winning hearts with her charming smile. Come to think of it, have we ever seen Emilia in a somber mood offscreen?