Orlando Bloom Opens Up About Moving On From Nearly Fatal Accident
Orlando Bloom has starred in many physically demanding movies, such as the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. However, one would never have guessed that he suffered a harrowing accident almost 25 years ago. As reported by E! News, Bloom first spoke about his accident with GQ in 2005 and shared that he was scaling a drainpipe that led to a rooftop terrace and fell down several heights. "[For] four days," he told the outlet, "I faced the idea of living in a wheelchair for the rest of my life."
On August 27, 2021, Bloom shared a picture of himself on Instagram riding a bicycle following his accident. "That's me in my back brace circa 1998 about 3months after I fell 3floors and crushed my spine, narrowly escaping death and paralysis...grateful everyday for my limbs that allow me to push my limits and live my life on my edge (safer now)." Now, over a year later, Bloom is opening up more about how he survived a dark time in his life.
Orlando Bloom shares how he healed physically and mentally
On October 10, Orlando Bloom partnered up with UNICEF and shared a lengthy Instagram video talking in detail about his 1998 accident. He wrote, "When I was 19 I was told I may never walk again. It was one of the darkest times of my life. This is how I got through it." In the video, Bloom spoke about how he survived the near-death experience because his spinal cord was still intact. "The months after the fall were quite a dark time. As somebody who's sort of always been very active in my life, it felt restrictive all of a sudden and I was in a lot of pain," he shared.
Bloom described his healing process to be mentally challenging as well as physically. "The injury created time and space for me to look at my life, recognize what was good and great in my life ... Mental health is particularly challenging because it's unseen." He stressed to his followers how important it is to check in and communicate with people.
Bloom has done a lot of good work with UNICEF since becoming an ambassador in 2009. In February, he flew to Moldova to meet and speak with refugees fleeing Ukraine, per UNICEF. The actor also visited and spoke with young people in Cape Town, South Africa in 2012. On August 27, Bloom received a humanitarian award from the Location Managers Guild International for his work with UNICEF.