Orlando Bloom Shares How Almost Dying Changed His Life

Orlando Bloom is reflecting on “narrowly escaping death” in 1998. The 44-year-old wrote on IG: “That’s me in my back brace circa 1998 about 3 months after I fell 3 floors and crushed my spine, narrowly escaping death and paralysis,” alongside an old photo of himself riding a bike and wearing a brace. “Grateful everyday for my limbs that allow me to push my limits and live life on my edge (safer now🙏).”

Bloom's fiancée, Katy Perry, commented on the post, writing, “I love you.” Miranda Kerr, the actor's ex-wife, also wrote, “So proud of you ❤️.”

He previously told GQ in 2005 that it happened when he was climbing a rooftop and a drainpipe collapsed, causing him to plummet three stories.

“Until then, I didn't have a healthy appreciation for life and death – that we're not invincible,” Bloom told the magazine. “And for four days, I faced the idea of living in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. I went to some dark places in my mind. I realized, I'm either going to walk again or I'm not.”

“But that accident has informed everything in my life,” he continued. “Until you're close to losing it, you don't realize. I used to ride motorbikes and drive cars like everything was a racetrack; it was ridiculous. It wasn't because I thought it was cool; it was just because I loved living on the edge. But I've chilled.”