Beverly Hills, 90210’s Gabrielle Carteris Details “Disfiguring” Injury

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Gabrielle Carteris is looking back on a life-changing moment. 

The former star of Beverly Hills, 90210 remembered getting hurt on a movie set in Canada in the early 2000s.

I played the main female character, and a guest actor was brought in for a scene where his character was supposed to break into my character’s house,” the 65-year-old explained on the February 23rd episode of the Still Here Hollywood podcast with Steve Kmetko. “I was walking down the stairs when he came up behind me, lifted me, and dragged me down them.”

Gabrielle went on to describe the unnamed costar as “a really big guy,” who was “like 6’6.” 

She explained that he was very energetic and repeatedly lifted her up. During a rehearsal for a different scene, while the lights were being adjusted, she told him to stop touching her because he had been lifting her by the neck.

Days later, Gabrielle said she noticed her injuries became apparent.

She noticed something was wrong while getting ready for work. “I realized I was losing feeling in my face,” she said. “I was looking in the mirror and saw that part of my face wouldn’t move. It was really strange. I also had terrible headaches and just didn’t feel well.”

Suddenly, while on set, my face contorted into a frightening expression – it looked just like The Joker’s. It was incredibly disfiguring, almost like a form of paralysis, and I started convulsing. They had to call a doctor who was stationed there to help.

I was so worried when Gabrielle decided to fly back to Los Angeles for medical care. It was actually on that flight home that she first really saw how much the injuries had changed her appearance, and it must have been incredibly difficult.

She recalled feeling incredibly self-conscious at the airport. She was unable to speak and felt deeply embarrassed by the unwanted attention, not just from people who recognized her, but because she felt her body was failing her. It was a deeply humbling experience.

Gabrielle, who led SAG-AFTRA as president for five years until 2021, says it took “several years” to heal from her injuries, with support from the team at the UCLA Movement Center.

She explained that they were helping her regain her ability to speak and recover physically. She described it as a significant process.

Even after experiencing something deeply upsetting, Gabrielle worked to protect herself and others who might face similar challenges.

She described a legal battle that lasted nearly nine years, which she ultimately won. The case resulted in changes to Canadian law.

Gabrielle channeled her difficult experience into positive action, explaining that it motivated her involvement as a leader with SAG-AFTRA.

The challenges that led me to stop acting actually helped me discover my passion for leadership and service. This is my way of giving back, and it was a truly transformative experience – one I never saw coming.

For more stars who opened up about devastating accidents, keep reading…

In February 2017, Jamie Lynn Spears’ daughter, Maddie Aldridge, then 8 years old, was riding an ATV near their home in Louisiana when it overturned into a pond. She was underwater for several minutes before being rescued.

It was absolutely terrifying. I remember finally getting my daughter out of the water, and when I saw her, I honestly thought we’d lost her. The first responders took over immediately, and in that moment, we truly believed she was gone. It was the scariest experience of my life, as a mom, you never think something like that will happen.

Although the extent of her injuries was initially unclear, Maddie regained consciousness and was able to speak within two days. She recovered well and was back to her usual self after a few weeks.

Jamie Lynn shared that she’s incredibly grateful to have her daughter back, after a difficult time where she thought she’d lost her forever. She simply said, ‘I lost her and I got her back.’

During filming of the 2025 action comedy Bride Hard, Rebel Wilson had a mishap on her final day of shooting. She told Access Hollywood that a prop gun accidentally hit her in the face during a fight scene, splitting her nose open. She had to leave the set immediately, joking about how unlucky she was to have the accident on her last night of filming.

She described being terrified when she was injured in 2023, explaining that she was covered in blood. An ambulance was called, and a plastic surgeon had to be brought in to repair the damage. Thankfully, the surgery was successful, and she says you can’t even tell where she was hurt now.

Jimmy Fallon, the host of The Tonight Show, had a scary accident at home where he tripped and fell. He tried to brace himself by grabbing the counter, but his ring caught, and he nearly lost a finger in the process.

Doctors hospitalized him for ten days to try and save his finger after he suffered a severe injury – a “ring avulsion” – where the ring caused significant damage.

In June 2025, Zane Wach, a seasoned hiker and multi-sport athlete who competes in running, swimming, and triathlons, almost succumbed to altitude sickness while hiking Mount Whitney in California with his father, Ryan Wach.

Ryan told SFGATE that the 14-year-old began having hallucinations, but he was aware they weren’t real. He described seeing things like snowmen and Kermit the Frog.

Ryan had to repeatedly stop his teenage son from walking off the cliff as they hiked back down the trail. The father explained that his son was disoriented and they weren’t sure why. He suspects it was a combination of factors, including tiredness, lack of sleep, possible dehydration, and lingering effects from altitude sickness, which caused his son to question what was real.

After two failed attempts to reach Zane, Ryan watched helplessly as his son tumbled about 120 feet down a cliff. It took six hours for a rescue helicopter from Inyo County to arrive and transport Zane to the hospital in Lone Pine, where he was initially stabilized before being moved to a specialized trauma center for children in Las Vegas. Doctors put Zane into a medically induced coma, but he eventually started breathing independently.

Oh my gosh, hearing Ryan talk about his son just breaks my heart! It’s just…everything that poor kid has gone through! A head injury plus a broken finger, ankle, and fractured pelvis? It’s absolutely terrifying. Ryan said it’s going to be a long road to recovery, a real fight for survival, and honestly, just knowing they’re still in the thick of it is so stressful. I’m sending all my positive energy their way – I just want to see him get better!

On New Year’s Day in 2023, actor Jeremy Renner, known for his role in Avengers, was seriously injured while helping a family member. He was using a snowplow near his Lake Tahoe home to pull a stuck vehicle when he got out to speak with them. The snowplow then started moving and Renner attempted to stop it from hitting his nephew, resulting in him being run over and suffering 38 broken bones.

In his 2025 memoir, My Next Breath, he described lying on the ice on New Year’s Day, his heartbeat slowing. He wrote that after manually breathing for about thirty minutes – a strenuous effort similar to doing ten to twenty push-ups every minute for half an hour – he simply grew tired and died, unbeknownst to his daughter, sisters, friends, or parents.

Let me tell you, I’ve heard some incredible survival stories, but this one really sticks with you. This man actually felt like he’d passed away after a terrible accident. Paramedics arrived to find his heart rate had dropped to a dangerously low 18 beats per minute – basically, a level where your heart is no longer sustaining life. He was absolutely certain he’d died at that point, which just goes to show how close to the edge he was.

In May 2025, TikTok creator Emilie Kiser and her husband, Brady, experienced every parent’s nightmare when their three-year-old son, Trigg, accidentally fell into their swimming pool at their home in Arizona.

As a safety advocate, I was deeply saddened to hear about the recent tragedy in Chandler, Arizona. On May 12th, police responded to a call about a young child who was found unresponsive after being pulled from a backyard pool. First responders, including both police and firefighters, immediately began CPR at the scene and rushed the child to Chandler Regional Hospital. Sadly, despite their best efforts, the toddler passed away six days later. It’s a heartbreaking reminder of the importance of constant vigilance and layers of protection around any water source, especially with young children.

Emilie filed a lawsuit asking the court to prevent Maricopa County from releasing details about his death. The lawsuit explained that Emilie is focused on caring for her two-month-old son, Theodore, and is struggling every day with the situation.

Dr. Cara Hodgson’s family vacation to Thailand became a nightmare in December 2023 when she was shocked by power lines. She lost consciousness and was immediately taken to the emergency room. In an Instagram post on New Year’s Day, the influencer described spending the next week and a half in and out of hospitals, struggling to recover and save her life. She expressed immense gratitude to still be alive.

Despite the discomfort, the orthodontist discovered a newfound appreciation for life. Cara explained that the experience reminded her – and all of us – of how wonderful it is to simply be alive. Being able to breathe, eat, speak, and move are all gifts to be cherished and celebrated.

In June 2025, Brazilian tourist Juliana Marins died while hiking on Mount Rinjani, an active volcano in Indonesia. She fell from a cliff, and despite a four-day search effort involving 48 people, her body was only found after rescuers battled difficult weather, rough terrain, and poor visibility, according to a statement from the Brazilian government. Thankfully, she did not fall into the volcano’s crater.

Juliana Marins has tragically passed away, her family announced on Instagram. The rescue team reached her location today, but sadly, she did not survive. The family expressed their deep gratitude for the outpouring of prayers, messages of support, and affection they received.

In 2015, actress Tori Spelling, known for her role on Beverly Hills, 90210, accidentally burned her right arm on a hot grill at a Benihana restaurant during an Easter brunch. She received skin grafts and later decided to file a lawsuit against the restaurant.

She revealed on her 2024 podcast, 9021OMG (co-hosted with Jennie Garth), that she received a skin graft from her thigh to cover a severe burn on her arm. She jokingly said, ‘Not many people can say they’re wearing their thigh on their arm,’ explaining that a thin layer of skin from her thigh was used to repair the damage.

Comedian Tony Knight tragically died in June 2024 at the Rock&Cars festival in France when he was struck by falling tree branches. He was 54 years old and enjoying life, according to Joanne Allen, the sister of his partner, Hayley Wright. Allen described Knight as fit, healthy, happy, and full of life, noting his charisma, humor, and passion.

Oh my god, I’m just completely heartbroken. Everyone who knew him says he could do anything – seriously, he was unbelievably talented. And his girlfriend, Haley, she’s just devastated, of course. She posted the sweetest thing online, saying he was the most amazing friend, the best dog dad… but mostly, he was her world. She said it will never be the same, and honestly, I feel exactly the same way. It’s just… everything feels different now. He was just one of a kind.

As a lifestyle and event expert, I was truly shocked to hear about the terrifying incident at Vistex’s 25th anniversary kick-off party in India this January. Apparently, CEO Sanjay Shah and President Vishwanath Raju Datla were meant to be lowered onto the stage in an iron cage as part of the celebration. Sadly, two of the wires supporting the cage snapped, causing them to fall onto the concrete. It was a frightening accident, and thankfully, reports indicate they survived, but it’s a stark reminder of the importance of rigorous safety checks at any event, no matter how celebratory the intention.

Sanjay, age 56, died at the hospital after the accident, according to reports. Vishwanath, 52, suffered a serious head injury and sadly died several months afterward.

Orlando Bloom revealed in a 2022 Instagram video with UNICEF that he broke his back after falling three stories from a window when he was 19 years old. He and some friends were attempting to reach a rooftop terrace, and the drainpipe he was climbing gave way. Fortunately, he survived with his spinal cord intact, though he did suffer multiple fractured vertebrae.

He explained that doctors initially told him he might never walk again during his first four days in the hospital. This marked the start of a difficult process of understanding how certain patterns in his life had led to a series of accidents, ultimately culminating in a life-threatening back injury.

After leaving the hospital in a back brace and struggling with both physical and emotional pain, he immediately began going out and partying—still wearing the brace, he told GQ in 2005. It took a few months for him to accept this new reality and decide he needed to turn his life around.

He said the experience completely changed his perspective on life. “You don’t appreciate things until you almost lose them,” he explained. He used to be a reckless driver and motorcyclist, always pushing his limits, not for the thrill, but because he enjoyed the adrenaline. “I’ve definitely calmed down now,” he added.

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2026-02-24 19:20