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<\/p>\nEmily Blunt\u00a0has revealed having a stutter feels like she has an ‘imposter’ living inside of her.<\/p>\n
The Mary Poppins Returns actress developed a speech impediment in childhood and admitted she sometimes still struggles to not have her words get ‘stuck’, particularly when feeling nervous or under pressure.<\/p>\n
Speaking on stage at Variety’s Power of Women gala in Los Angeles on Thursday, the 40-year-old actress said: ‘Certain words will get stuck, the phone is a bit of a nightmare…<\/p>\n
‘Environments challenge me if I’m scared, or if I’m under pressure to persuade or convince, like, don’t ever ask me to pitch you anything ever.’<\/p>\n
‘A stutter is like an imposter living in your body. Who doesn’t pay rent. And completely and utterly misrepresents who you are as a person.’<\/p>\n
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Speaking out: Emily Blunt revealed having a stutter is like ‘an imposter living in your body’ as she spoke on stage at Variety’s Power of Women gala in Los Angeles on Thursday,<\/p>\n
Emily was honoured at the gala with the Wells Fargo’s Power of Women Alumni Award for her work with children at the American Institute for Stuttering and she admitted she felt ‘grateful’ to shine a light on the organisation.<\/p>\n
She said: ‘I am grateful to shed light on [stuttering] because it is a disability that lives very often in the shadows alongside its friends: fear and shame and humiliation.’<\/p>\n
Emily – who has starred in critically acclaimed films such as Oppenheimer and A Quiet Place –\u00a0called for people to stop assuming a stutter is down to a nervous condition or a psychological problem.<\/p>\n
Highlighting around 80 million people around the world are affected, she said: ‘This is wrong. It is neurological, it’s biological, it’s often hereditary and it’s not your fault.’<\/p>\n
After reflecting on her 17 years working with the institute, the ‘Devil Wears Prada’ actress then called on people to ‘be patient’ when speaking to those with communication difficulties.<\/p>\n
She said: ‘Next time you meet someone who stutters, know that every word they say takes effort and courage. Look them in the eye, be patient.<\/p>\n
‘Don’t tell them to slow down, or breathe, or spit it out.<\/p>\n
‘It’s a neurological thing, it’s sort of a motor pathway thing. Don’t finish their sentences. They know what they want to say, they have so much to share. Just be patient.’<\/p>\n
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Honoured:\u00a0Emily was honoured at the gala with the Wells Fargo’s Power of Women Alumni Award for her work with children at the American Institute for Stuttering<\/p>\n
Emily looked sensational at the event as\u00a0 she slipped into a white sequinned dress with eye-catching feathered sleeves.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The mother-of-two previously admitted she will immediately reject a script if she sees three very specific words because she knows the role will be ‘stoic’.<\/p>\n
Speaking to The Telegraph, she said: ‘It’s the worst thing ever when you open a script and read the words “strong female lead”.<\/p>\n
‘That makes me roll my eyes – I’m already out. I’m bored.<\/p>\n
‘Those roles are written as incredibly stoic, you spend the whole time acting tough and saying tough things.’<\/p>\n
Emily – who was promoting her role as Lady Cornelia Locke in The English at the time – said she instead loves playing a character with a ‘secret’.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Amazing:\u00a0Emily – who has starred in critically acclaimed films such as Oppenheimer (pictured) called for people to stop assuming a stutter is down to a nervous condition<\/p>\n