Celebrities with brain aneurysms as Kim Kardashian reveals diagnosis

Reality TV enthusiasts were left stunned this week when Kim Kardashian announced she had been diagnosed with a brain aneurysm.

The 45-year-old star dropped the bombshell health update in the latest series of The Kardashians, which premiered on Wednesday (October 23). She disclosed that medical experts had discovered a "little" aneurysm in her brain during an MRI scan.

According to the NHS, a brain aneurysm is a swelling of a blood vessel in the brain. In rare instances, they can rupture and cause a bleed, although most are small and show no symptoms.

Despite this, regular follow-up scans are necessary to ensure they don't enlarge. Larger aneurysms can trigger symptoms such as headaches, eye pain, short-term memory issues and double vision, while signs an aneurysm has burst include a sudden and severe headache, often described as a 'thunderclap' headache, reports the Mirror.

While Kim's diagnosis has shocked her fans, she isn't the only celebrity to have experienced one.

Game of Thrones actress Emilia Clarke suffered a subarachnoid haemorrhage - a rare and potentially fatal type of stroke - during a workout in 2011, caused by a ruptured brain aneurysm.

Reflecting on the moment she realised something was amiss, she recounted in a New Yorker essay: "My trainer had me get into the plank position, and I immediately felt as though an elastic band were squeezing my brain."

"Meanwhile, the pain - shooting, stabbing, constricting pain - was getting worse. At some level, I knew what was happening: my brain was damaged."

After spending days in intensive care and surviving the ordeal, she resumed her normal life only to discover in 2013 that her second brain aneurysm had doubled in size, necessitating further surgery.

Star of Basic Instinct, Sharon Stone, has also candidly discussed her experience with the condition. In a piece for The Hollywood Reporter, she detailed her nine-day brain bleed and the two-year journey it took her to relearn how to walk and talk.

"I was in an ICU for nine days and the survival rate for what I went through is very low," she penned. "I don't need someone to make me feel bad about growing older. I'll tell you what makes you feel bad: when you think you might not."

Jazz legend Quincy Jones and rock icon Neil Young are also survivors of aneurysms. In his memoir, Neil confessed that his diagnosis prompted him to reassess his health.

Reflecting on the moment he was informed of his aneurysm, he revealed: "The bad news is you've got an aneurysm in your brain. You've had it for a hundred years, so it's nothing to worry about – but it's very serious, so we'll have to get rid of it right away."