Inside the Big Issue: Game of Throne's star Emilia Clarke and her fight back from brain injuries

Emilia Clarke has spoken exclusively to the Big Issue about the incredible strength it took to survive and recover after two brain injuries.

Clarke suffered two life-threatening brain haemorrhages while starring as Daenerys Targaryen in HBO series Game of Thrones.

“When you have a brain injury, because it alters your sense of self on such a dramatic level, all of the insecurities you have going into the workplace quadruple overnight,” Emilia Clarke told the Big Issue. “The first fear we all had was: ‘Oh my God, am I going to get fired? Am I going to get fired because they think I’m not capable of completing the job?’”

She has been interviewed in this week’s Big Issue, out today (10 June), about the difficulties of returning to work after experiencing a brain injury.

Meanwhile polling from the Big Issue Group and brain injury charity SameYou found that a third of people felt they did not feel ready to return to their jobs after their brain injuries. Of these, more than half (53%) of survivors said they had to return to work for financial reasons.

Read more in this week’s magazine!

What else is in this week’s Big Issue?

Malala Yousafzai has a harrowing story to tell, with help from Jennifer Lawrence

Nobel Prize-winning activist Malala Yousafzai talks to Big Issue about her new documentary, Bread & Roses, which shows the brutal realities of life for Afghanistan’s women under the Taliban.

“Most people know me as an advocate for girls’ education. I started producing films and working in the entertainment space because I believe that storytelling is the soul of activism,” she said.

The next government must prioritise ending poverty. And there’s a straightforward way to do it.

“We’re already more than two weeks into this election campaign, yet the silence around poverty has so far been deafening,” writes Cass Francis, campaigns co-ordinator at Southend Foodbank. “At the time of writing, no party has even mentioned the issue, let alone put forward policies to support the ever-increasing number of people who are struggling to get by.”

Big Issue is demanding an end to poverty this general election. Will you sign our open letter to party leaders?

Our books special features a festival guide, summer read tips and a belated celebration of a literary legend

Book festivals have a flattering reputation for camaraderie and intellectual exchange. Here’s where you can get involved this summer, from Edinburgh to Hay.