Evangeline Lilly, the Canadian actress, has revealed that a serious fall in 2025 has resulted in a traumatic brain injury and measurable brain damage.
The incident occurred on a Hawaiian beach, where Lilly fainted and struck her face on a boulder.
In a May 2025 Substack post detailing the accident, the 46-year-old film star included graphic photos of her bloodied face and disclosed she had “a hole punctured into my face by the rock”.
She revealed a lifelong history of fainting spells, which doctors had initially, but inconclusively, linked to hypoglycemia.
In a recent update video on Instagram, Lilly said her recent brain scan showed that “almost every area in my brain is functioning at a decreased capacity”.
She said the “cognitive decline” caused by the injury has helped her slow down and experience the “calmest and most restful” Christmas holiday she has had in years.
Lilly added that despite her condition, she feels “extraordinarily grateful and blessed” to be alive.
“It is the first day of 2026, and I am entering this new year with bad news about my concussion. Many of you asked how I have been doing and inquired about the brain scans you heard I got,” she said.
“The results have returned, and almost every area of my brain is functioning at a decreased capacity. I do have brain damage from the traumatic brain injury (TBI) and possibly other factors, but my focus now is to get to the bottom of this with my doctors and begin the hard work of fixing it. Which I don’t look forward to because hard work is all I do.
“My cognitive decline since I injured my face has helped me slow down and have a more restful 2025. This was the calmest, most restful Christmas holiday I have had in years, perhaps since I had children about 14 years ago, and I chose to see that as a good thing.
“Feeling extraordinarily grateful and blessed to be alive for one more day and one more year on this beautiful planet. That’s my concussion update. Thanks for caring.”
In an accompanying caption, she said she was relieved to know the cause of her cognitive struggles but worried about the long recovery ahead.
“Comforting to know my cognitive decline isn’t just perimenopause, discomforting to know what an uphill battle it will be to try to reverse the deficiencies,” she wrote.
Lilly, known for her roles in ‘Lost’, The Hobbit films and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, announced in 2024 that she was taking an “indefinite hiatus” from acting.
