On Monday night, Florence Pugh, who plays the Black Widow, went Running Wild with Bear Grylls. In addition to rappelling down waterfalls and jumping out of helicopters, the English actress talked openly about a physical problem that led her family to relocate to Spain.
“We were in Spain because I have a breathing issue, and when I was younger they kind of just advised that a hotter climate would be better,” said Pugh. “I have asthma and I have this thing called tracheomalacia as well. And so from a young age, I’ve just had a different breathing system.”
According to Cedar Sinai, “Tracheomalacia is a rare condition that happens when the cartilage of the windpipe, or trachea, is soft, weak and floppy. This can cause the tracheal wall to collapse and block the airway, making it hard to breathe.”
Pugh, fortunately, has adapted to living with tracheomalacia. She has still been kicking some butt in the MCU, for sure. In actuality, it is the main cause of her distinctive raspy voice.
“Now as an adult, unless I get ill, it doesn’t really affect me as intensely as it did when I was younger,” Pugh said.
