British actress Samantha Morton has revealed she suffered a debilitating stroke that kept her out of the limelight for 18 months.
The 'Minority Report' and 'In America' star said she managed to keep her illness a secret with the help of friends and family.
Morton, who had to learn to walk again after the stroke, made a full recovery and gave birth to her second daughter, Edie, in January.
The Nottingham-born star told the Observer that a few days after suffering head injuries when part of the ceiling in her home fell down on her she suffered a stroke.
At the time, in 2006, the world was told Morton had pulled out of a film called 'Transsiberian' because of the ceiling accident, the Observer reported. But the stroke, and her subsequent battle to recover, happened in private.
Morton said she was helped back to health by Spiritualized singer Jason Pierce - who had just got over pneumonia - and his girlfriend Juliette Larche.
Morton told the Observer: "Their friendship knows no bounds. He was the only person I knew who understood what that was like, being near to death."
Morton has since appeared on cinema screens in 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age' and as the wife of singer Ian Curtis in 'Control'.
