Aubrey Plaza has opened up about what happened to her when she suffered a stroke in her 20s.
The Emily the Criminal star, 40, appeared on SiriusXM's Howard Stern Show on Wednesday (11 September) to promote three of her upcoming projects.
It seems September is going to be a busy month for the actor, as she features in Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis (27 September), comedy movie My Old Ass (13 September), and Disney Plus series Agatha All Along (18 September).
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As well as speaking about her work, Plaza lifted the lid on the time she experienced a stroke at the age of 20, while studying at New York University. Watch below:
Her stroke was caused by a blood clot in her brain, temporary leaving her with partial paralysis.
On what happened, she explained: "It was really a freak thing, honestly, you know my doctors blamed it on the birth control pill at the time because I'd kind of been on like a new one or something for a couple months.
"It was really the only thing I was putting into my body and so I never took that again, ever.
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"I've never been on hormones or anything like that again because clearly, I mean, I think it was probably that."
Plaza added: "It was wild. The craziest thing about it ― and kind the coolest thing about it ― it happened mid-sentence.
"I took the train to Astoria to have lunch with my friends and I walked into their apartment ― I hadn't even taken my jacket off ― and it just happened.
"That's when I was paralyzed, but only really for a minute or something. I lost my motor skills really briefly. The freakiest thing was I forgot how to talk."
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Despite it being a life-changing event, the actor managed to work through speech and physical therapy to recover and have a successful film career.
“I always am aware of how precious life is, and I try to remember that every day,” she said.
“I tend to see the bigger picture or try to see the bigger picture and try not to take things so seriously and try not to get hung up on the small things...
“I do have an overall feeling of life is short. And I might as well just do as much as I can. Maybe it’s why I’m so busy.”
Stroke symptoms
According to the NHS, main symptoms of stroke can be remembered with the abbreviation 'FAST'
- Face – this happens when the face drops on one side, or perhaps the person may not be able to smile, or move their mouth. Sometimes their eyes may have dropped.
- Arms – a person who has suffered a stroke may struggle to lift both arms and because of weakness or numbness in one arm.
- Speech – their speech may be slurred or garbled, or the person may not be able to talk at all despite appearing to be awake.
- Time – it's time to dial 999 immediately if you see any of these signs or symptoms.
Topics: Aubrey Plaza, Health, Celebrity
Anish Vij