Bridget Jones star Celia Imrie has revealed she was hospitalised in 2005 after suffering two pulmonary embolisms. In a new interview with Saga, the actress said she no longer flies as a result of the blood clots in her lungs.
No longer flying
"I suppose my way of travel is a bit different, simply because I don't fly, and I love going on ships and trains," Celia told the publication. "People don't believe it when I tell them I do this. It's not an affectation: I don't fly because I had two pulmonary embolisms, which have to be mentioned; otherwise, people will think I'm a green goddess or that I'm just making a fuss, neither of which is true. I'm not preaching to anyone," she clarified.
Admitting that the experience affected her mental health, Celia, 74, mused: "I liken my life to a game of snakes and ladders. It's wonderful to go up the ladder, but there are snakes around the place, and they come upon you sometimes when you're not looking. I was on a snake at the time."
Saved by Nice
Crediting a trip to Nice, where she bought an apartment on a whim, with 'saving' her, Celia recalled: "The illness did lay me flat for a bit. Your body does have an aftershock. It's quite hard to explain, but I know I was on the floor. And yes, the paradise of Nice actually saved my life. I went out for a baguette and came back with an apartment."
"I do believe that with these sorts of things, you are the one who can get yourself out of it," she continued. "With the help of the beauty of Nice, I picked myself up. It gave me that twist to get myself up again."
Childhood anorexia
In her latest interview, Celia has also stated that she suffered from anorexia as a child. Reflecting on this "horrible time" in her life, the 74-year-old noted that she had developed the eating disorder after the Royal Ballet School suggested she was 'too big' to become a dancer. She was just 11 at the time.
Following her diagnosis, a young Celia received treatment from William Sargant, a highly controversial psychiatrist who used electroconvulsive therapy, insulin shock therapy, and deep sleep therapy to treat his patients in a hospital ward now known as 'The Sleep Room'. "I don't know to this day whether I had a spell in The Sleep Room or not, but I was in that ward, and I remember the smell of the room. The smell of sleep. I can't describe it. I mean, it was a horrible time," Celia said.
