Sharon Stone, a powerhouse on the silver screen with a string of hits spanning three decades, stunned viewers of U.K.’s “Good Morning Britain” as she spilled the beans on a life-changing ordeal. Back in 2001, after a slew of so-so films, Stone faced a brush with death that shifted her stars from Hollywood to heartfelt activism.
The “Basic Instinct” bombshell recounted a terrifying tale of survival: “I went to the first hospital and had an MRI and had this near-death experience and then was transferred to a specialized hospital. I continued to bleed into my brain for nine days before my best friend convinced [the doctors] to look again,” she revealed. “Thank God they did, because they realized what was going on and how it had happened and were able to repair it at the last moment.”
Stone described her survival as “one of those beautiful miracles.” The ordeal left her with what she calls an “invisible disability,” a challenge she says is often overlooked: “People can help you when they see you are walking with crutches, but when you are having a bit of a problem with brain function, people don’t know that you need help with that.”
The incident threw Stone’s life into a tailspin. Diagnosed with a ruptured vertebral artery that triggered a brain hemorrhage—likely due to a fall or genetic quirk—her recovery spanned a grueling seven years. “That’s a long time to lose your momentum,” she explained. “In seven years, you’re no longer the flavor of the time, you no longer have box office heat, the same people you were working with are no longer in power anymore.”
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Since then, Stone has pivoted to medical advocacy, using her own harrowing experiences to connect with others sidelined by unforeseen injuries. “I had a 1% chance of survival…I haven’t had jobs since,” Stone shared at the “Raising Our Voices” luncheon in June 2023.
“I would have loved to be heard, but since I wasn’t, I decided to work so that you could be heard.”
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Despite the setbacks, she’s been vocal about the need to maintain diversity and stand against the tide of anti-woke sentiment sweeping through parts of the U.S. “I have spent the last 20 years plus working for the World Health Organization, working for the United Nations, working for governments all over the world. So that you can be heard. It is important to me that your diversity does not get wiped out by this anti-woke bulls— idea in our country,” Stone fiercely went on.
Away from the advocacy limelight, Stone finds solace in art and painting, nurturing passions that anchor her peace. Reflecting on her life’s journey, she shared a touching note: “When I was a kid, I always wanted to have a house full of kids running and screaming and dogs, and I got it. And I feel very blessed and happy about the life I got. We’re happy together, and what’s better than that? There’s nothing more free than standing centered in yourself,” adding that her new mantra is, ‘It’s never too late to become yourself.’”