Evangeline Lilly Shares Struggles After Traumatic Brain Injury
Evangeline Lilly has opened up about her ongoing recovery after a severe head injury left her with brain damage, offering a candid update to fans on social media.
Canadian actress Evangeline Lilly has spoken out about the lasting effects of a serious head injury she suffered last year, revealing that she is now dealing with brain damage. Known for her roles in The Hobbit, Lost, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Lilly took to Instagram on January 3 to update her followers on her health and recovery journey.
Lilly explained that the incident occurred in May of the previous year while she was at the beach. She fainted unexpectedly and fell face-first onto a boulder, resulting in a concussion. The aftermath of the accident has continued to impact her well-being, with recent medical scans showing that nearly every part of her brain is now functioning at a reduced level.
Facing the Reality of Recovery
In her own words, Lilly shared,
“So I do have brain damage from the TBI [traumatic brain injury] and possibly other factors going on,”
before adding,
“But now my job is to get to the bottom of that with doctors and then embark on the hard work of fixing it, which I don’t look forward to because I feel like hard work is all I do.”
Despite the daunting road ahead, she expressed acceptance of her situation, saying that the cognitive decline she’s experienced since the accident has actually forced her to slow down and find a more restful pace as she approaches the end of 2025.
Looking Back on the Accident
Reflecting on the day of the injury, Lilly recalled that she has had fainting spells since childhood. Describing the moment, she wrote,
“I pull my face from the sand and take a breath. My mouth and nose are full of blood.”
She went on to say,
“I have come to believe that this ‘checking out’ is a result of my little soul reaching her limit of what she feels she can cope with in this life, and she ‘leaves the building,’ so to speak.”
Stepping Away from Hollywood
Lilly has not appeared in any film or television projects for the past three years, having chosen to step back from the entertainment industry. Her last on-screen role was in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in 2023. In an interview last June, she mentioned that she was not planning to return to acting, instead focusing her energy on humanitarian efforts and writing.