Penelope Cruz has spoken candidly about a recurring health scare she has faced more than once.
The actor said she has gone through several brain aneurysm scares in recent years, experiences that have made her especially focused on protecting her health. In a recent interview with Net-a-Porter, Cruz said the episode turned out to be a false alarm, but it still left a lasting impression.
A brain aneurysm happens when a weakened area in a blood vessel begins to swell or balloon. Most brain aneurysms do not rupture, and many people never realize they have one. But if an aneurysm does burst, it can become a medical emergency and lead to bleeding in the brain.
“I have had many scares like that,” said Cruz. Fortunately, I’m fine, it was a false alarm.”
Even so, she explained that those moments changed how she thinks about wellbeing and made her more determined to take care of herself.
“I worry about staying healthy, taking care of myself,” she told the outlet. “I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I really don’t party.”
Cruz also emphasized how highly she values good health, saying: “Without health, we have nothing. You talk about real equality? Why don’t we start with health?”
This is not the first time she has discussed the issue. Cruz previously recalled being confronted with the possibility of an aneurysm while working on The Black Ball, which is also known as La bola negra.
At the film’s Cannes premiere in May, Cruz said she learned about the potential problem before filming a night shoot.
Recalling the moment according to a report by Variety, she said: “We’re about to go out, I was putting on my wig, and they said, ‘Oh, apparently you have some brain aneurysm’.”
She added: “I thought I was about to die. This is something that was totally surreal in my life.”
The actress stepped away for the evening and was later told by a doctor that it was safe for her to continue working on the project.
“I thought, ‘It’s a total miracle’. I have to, I must have this in me,” she said.
More recently, her husband Javier Bardem said the family was worried when the warning came in, but that doctors ultimately gave Cruz the all-clear to continue after further checks. The scare has only strengthened her long-running focus on health, rest, and moderation.
Brain aneurysms are often discovered by chance during scans done for unrelated reasons. If one ruptures, symptoms can include a sudden, severe headache, nausea, vomiting, confusion, loss of consciousness, and other signs that require urgent emergency care.
For Cruz, the takeaway is simple: health is not something to take for granted.