Los Angeles, Feb 4 (IANS): Actress Sharon Stone, who suffered a stroke back in 2001 brought on by a brain hemorrhage that resulted in a nine-day brain bleed and saw her die briefly and come back to life, shared that she was extremely hard up and relying on her credit cards to survive.

She told Australia's WHO magazine: "I was down to nothing. I had to pay the kids' school on my credit card and hope for the best. I just got on my knees and I was like, 'I need a sign ... and could you make it big because I'm going to need something that I can't miss because I'm in a coma here. So like, help me out.'"

The 65-year-old actress says going through a near-death experience put a stop to caring what other people think about her, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

She said: "While I was recovering from my stroke, I reassessed everything. I decided that I would never not be myself again. And people could love me, hate me, like me, dislike me, judge me, do whatever they wanted. But take it or leave it, man. I feel free pretty much all the time."

Stone hid her disability for years because she thought “no one would accept” her.

The movie star, best known for playing femme fatale roles in Hollywood previously said that she was snubbed by the industry as the stroke severely impaired her motor skills and ability to remember lines.

The actress took a two-decade-long hiatus from acting while she was in recovery.