One of the stars of the Chronicles of Narnia film series has battled a rare flesh-eating illness and nearly lost a limb as a result.
Georgie Henley made her name as Lucy Pevensie in the Narnia franchise, as well as appearing in several other films afterwards.
However, before all that she nearly died after catching a rare condition when she was 18-years-old at college.
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Speaking on Instagram, she revealed how she now has scarring on her body from the infection, as well as how she nearly lost a limb to it.
In her post, she wrote: “When I was eighteen years old and in my sixth week of university, I contracted necrotising fasciitis, a rare and punishing infection that nearly claimed my life and wrought havoc throughout my body.
“In order to prevent the amputation of my left hand and arm I received gruelling invasive surgery, and later extensive reconstructive surgery which resulted in a series of skin grafts and scars,”
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In case you’ve never heard of it – which is likely, given how rare it is – necrotising fasciitis occurs are a wound becomes infected, and the prognosis isn’t good.
Even in recent times, many people die from the infection.
The USA Centers for Disease Prevention and Control writes that ‘even with treatment, up to 1 in 5 people with necrotizing fasciitis died from the infection in the most recent five years.’
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British actor Henley, who most recently featured as Mary Tudor in The Spanish Princess needed years to get better after contracting the infection.
Her post continued: “It has taken me a long time to heal both physically and mentally but I hoped that one day there would be the right time to talk about what happened.
“Today is a start,
“For the last nine years I have been open about my scars in my personal life, but have hidden them entirely in any professional context: wearing bandages or coverings, makeup on set and stage, long sleeves whenever I might be photographed, trousers so I could put my hand in a pocket,
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The industry I am part of often focuses on a very narrow idea of what is deemed aesthetic ‘perfection', and I worried that my scars would prevent me from getting work,
“The truth is there is no such thing as ‘perfection', but I have still lived with the shame of feeling different, exacerbated by the expectations that came with beginning my career at a young age.”
Still, even though she is scarred, they serve as a reminder of her struggle and will to survive the illness.
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Henley added: “But my scars are not something to be ashamed of. They are a map of the pain my body has endured, and most importantly a reminder of my survival,
“They do not affect my capacity as an actor, and I’m proud to be a person who has visible scars in this industry.”
UNILAD has contacted Henley for a comment.
Topics: Film and TV, Celebrity, Health
Tom Wood