Gabrielle Carteris is opening up about a frightening on-set accident that changed her life in ways she never expected.
The former “Beverly Hills, 90210” star shared the story during a Monday, Feb. 23 episode of the “Still Here Hollywood,” revealing that an early-2000s film shoot led to an injury that caused long-term health issues.
Carteris Recalls the Injury
Carteris, 65, explained that the scene required her character to be lifted and dragged down a staircase by another actor.
She recalled that the guest performer was “very hyped up” and kept lifting her repeatedly, even after she asked him to stop grabbing her by the neck.
A day or two later, she began losing feeling in her face and realized something was seriously wrong.
“I started losing the feeling in my face,” she said, adding that she suffered headaches and “a lot of pain” before noticing dramatic changes.
“I looked like the Joker. It was so disfiguring,” she said, describing a form of palsy that left her unable to speak clearly.
She also remembered her body convulsing on set, prompting a doctor to step in.
Carteris eventually flew home but said she felt humiliated in public because of how she looked.
“People were staring… I was so really deformed and I couldn’t talk,” she shared.
Carteris Had a Long Road to Recovery
After treatment at the UCLA Movement Disorder Clinic, she slowly regained her speech and began the long process of healing.
The actress filed a lawsuit related to the incident that took nearly nine years to resolve.
She said the outcome helped push changes to safety rules in Canada, something she’s proud of today.
Carteris later called the ordeal “life-changing” and “very humbling,” explaining that it helped shape her perspective on worker protections.
That experience ultimately influenced her leadership with SAG-AFTRA, where she served as president from 2016 to 2021.
Carteris said the accident deepened her belief in labor advocacy and the importance of safety on sets, turning a painful chapter into motivation for change.
Fans were quick to react about her revelation.
“Bless her – happy to hear she’s came through this. Health & safety has to really take president in any environment,” one fan wrote.
Another added, “Omg how terrible. Glad she got through it. I never heard anything about it.”
Carteris has long been candid about her Hollywood journey.
Recently, she also spoke about personal boundaries she maintained while filming 90210, including choices she made about her wardrobe on the show.
