Tag: diseases

Georgie Henley is demonstrating the same heroism as her “Narnia” character.

The 27-year-old actress revealed on Instagram Tuesday that when she was in college, she nearly died due to a rare bacterial infection.

“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,” Henley wrote in an Instagram post.

Henley said she almost lost an arm from the condition, which has left numerous scars all over her arm.

“In order to prevent the amputation of my left hand and arm I received grueling invasive surgery, and later extensive reconstructive surgery which resulted in a series of skin grafts and scars,” she continued.

According to the CDC, necrotizing fasciitis is a flesh-eating disease that occurs when a wound gets infected and “even with treatment, up to 1 in 5 people with necrotizing fasciitis died from the infection in the most recent five years.”

Henley — who recently starred in “The Spanish Princess” as Margaret Tudor — said that it took her several years to recover.

“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,” the actress said.

“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,” she added.

The Post reached out to Henley for comment.

Henley said that much of her mental stress came from the fact that she worked in an industry that demanded “perfection” and it terrified her that she may never work again.

“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,” wrote Henley.

“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.”

Henley says that she’s proud to show off her scars as they are a reminder of her survival.

“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,” she said. “They do not affect my capacity as an actor, and I’m proud to be a person who has visible scars in this industry.”