Gal Gadot reveals terrifying near-death experience with massive brain clot during pregnancy

Wonder Woman's secret brush with death

Gal Gadot plays an invincible demigod on the big screen, but in real life, she just revealed she is frighteningly human. The 40-year-old superstar dropped a massive bombshell on the industry this week, admitting that she nearly died earlier this year due to a medical crisis that was kept completely under wraps. While the world thought she was enjoying a blissful pregnancy, Gadot was actually fighting for her life against a "massive" brain clot that threatened to kill both her and her unborn child.

The shocking revelation came while Gadot was accepting the Hollywood Icon Award from the Women’s Guild Cedars-Sinai. Attendees expecting a standard "thank you" speech were instead hit with a harrowing tale of survival that had the entire room gasping. Gadot, usually the picture of poise and perfection, broke down the terrifying timeline of February 2024, when her fourth pregnancy turned into a living nightmare.

"I am here tonight because of you," she told the doctors and staff at the prestigious hospital, making it clear just how close of a call this really was. This wasn't just a scare; it was a life-or-death emergency that required immediate, high-stakes intervention.

Industry insiders are already whispering about how effectively Gadot's team managed to keep this story out of the press until she was ready to tell it. In a town where privacy is a myth, keeping a brain surgery secret is the ultimate magic trick.

Ignored symptoms: The mistake that almost cost her everything

In a move that will have doctors everywhere screaming at their screens, Gadot admitted she did exactly what she shouldn't have done: she ignored the pain. For three excruciating weeks, the actress walked around with a headache she described as one that "makes the world stop."

Let that sink in. Three weeks. Most people pop an Advil and complain if a headache lasts three hours. Gadot was filming, working, and parenting three other children while a blood clot was sitting in her brain, waiting to strike. It is a terrifying testament to the "push through" culture of Hollywood, where taking a sick day can cost millions in production delays.

"I tried to push through because that's what we do," Gadot confessed. It is the classic "supermom" syndrome taken to a lethal extreme. If not for the intervention of her mother, who was calling from all the way in Israel, Gadot might not be here today. Her mom didn't buy the "I'm fine" act and practically demanded she get an MRI. That phone call was the difference between life and death.

It is actually scary how many women ignore pain because we are taught to just deal with it. Gal Gadot almost dying because she didn't want to make a fuss is the most relatable and terrifying thing ever.

The call no pregnant woman wants to hear

The timeline gets even more frantic after the test. Gadot wasn't even back in the comfort of her home before her phone rang. It was the doctor, and the news was catastrophic. This wasn't a "come in next week" situation. This was a "get here now or you might die" situation.

"You need to come to the hospital right now. It's serious. You have a massive brain clot," the doctor told her. Just like that, her reality shattered.

Gadot described the chilling thoughts racing through her mind in that moment. "All I could think was, ‘Am I gonna die? Is this how it feels before you die? Are they going to be able to save me? Is the baby gonna be okay?'"

This is the side of celebrity we rarely see. Stripped of the red carpet glam and the stunt doubles, she was just a terrified mother facing the very real possibility that she wouldn't leave the hospital alive. The phrase "massive brain clot" is not something you want to hear at any time, let alone when you are eight months pregnant with your fourth child.

A 'Fast and Furious' dash to save two lives

What followed was a real-life action sequence that rivals anything in Gadot's filmography. Her husband, Jaron Varsano, took the wheel and turned the streets of Los Angeles into a race track. Gadot joked that he drove "like he was in Fast and Furious straight to Cedars-Sinai," but the humor masks a terrifying reality.

Imagine the panic in that car. A husband trying to get his pregnant wife to the ER before a brain clot turns fatal. Every red light, every traffic jam—it must have been agony. Varsano, a real estate developer, had to channel his inner Dom Toretto to get them there in one piece.

Upon arrival, the medical team didn't waste a second. The situation was so critical that they couldn't even focus on the clot yet—they had to save the baby first. "We need to get the baby out," the doctors told her. The priority shifted instantly: save the child, then try to save the mother.

The operating room drama

Within three hours of that frantic drive, Gadot was in surgery. The doctors performed an emergency delivery to bring her daughter, Ori, into the world. But the danger wasn't over. Gadot still had a ticking time bomb in her head.

The details of the procedure are harrowing. After the baby was safely out, Gadot had to endure a life-saving surgery the very next morning to address the brain clot. While her husband was holding their newborn daughter—a bittersweet moment of joy mixed with absolute terror—Gadot was under the knife, with top neurosurgeons working to ensure she would wake up to hold her baby.

"Fear met with faith," Gadot said, describing the surreal experience of welcoming life while staring down death. She explained that they named the baby Ori because it means "my light" in Hebrew—a fitting moniker for a child born in the darkest hours of their lives.

Imagine holding your newborn baby not knowing if your wife is going to make it out of brain surgery in the next room. Jaron must have been going through hell.

The Wonder Woman irony

There is a bitter irony in Wonder Woman herself being brought to her knees by a medical crisis. Gadot has built a career on playing indestructible figures, women who can deflect bullets with their bracelets and fight gods. But a blood clot doesn't care about box office numbers or superpowers.

This incident highlights a growing trend of high-profile health scares among the Hollywood elite, reminding fans that all the money and fame in the world can't buy immunity from biology. From Hailey Bieber's mini-stroke to Emilia Clarke's aneurysms, young, healthy stars are dropping like flies from vascular issues, sparking frantic conversations on social media about stress, lifestyle, and hidden health risks.

Gadot's admission also puts a spotlight on the dangers of pregnancy that are often glossed over in glossy magazine spreads. Blood clots are a known risk, but hearing about "massive" brain clots in a fit, healthy superstar is enough to send a shiver down anyone's spine.

The aftermath: A second chance

When Gadot woke up from surgery, the reality of her survival hit her. She hadn't just given birth; she had been reborn. "I realized that I had been given two gifts," she told the emotional crowd. "One in my arms, Ori. And one in my heart — a second chance."

The actress, who also shares daughters Alma, 14, Maya, 8, and Daniella, 4, with Varsano, is now preaching the gospel of self-care. It might sound cliché coming from a celebrity, but after you've had a neurosurgeon digging around in your brain, the advice hits differently.

"Listen to your body. Don’t ignore the signs," she urged fans on Instagram. It is a plea for women to stop being martyrs and start being patients. The "I'm fine" culture nearly killed her, and she is using her platform to make sure it doesn't kill anyone else.

What's next for Gal?

Now that the secret is out, questions are swirling about Gadot's future. She is slated to star as the Evil Queen in the upcoming Snow White live-action remake, a film already mired in its own controversies. Will this health scare impact her ability to take on physically demanding roles in the future? Action stars rely on their bodies, and a history of brain clots is a serious liability for insurance companies on blockbuster sets.

For now, Gadot is just happy to be "alive." She credited the "real heroes"—the doctors, nurses, and technicians at Cedars-Sinai—for saving her life. But as she steps back into the spotlight, every headache, every dizzy spell, is going to be scrutinized.

Did she return to work too soon? Is she truly out of the woods? The doctors saved her life, but the long-term effects of such a massive trauma remain to be seen. Hollywood loves a comeback story, but this is one sequel Gadot never wanted to star in.