Emily Blunt reveals her stutter was a 'dreadful imposter' during childhood

While she may be known for delivering lines in numerous hit films, Emily Blunt initially struggled to find her own voice.

The actress, 38, has opened up about her childhood battle with a stutter, describing it as a "dreadful imposter in your body".

Speaking to the Daily Mail's You magazine, she said: "It misrepresents who you are completely, so that’s all people see.

"Because people sound funny, they look funny when they talk and it’s very readily bullied and made fun of. And misinterpreted. People don’t get that it’s a biological disability that’s usually hereditary."

Read more: Emily Blunt reveals why she wants her kids to remain 'oblivious' to her fame

Blunt, who now campaigns for the American Institute for Stuttering, was able to overcome her stutter – which is a common neurological condition that makes it physically hard to speak – through acting.

A secondary school teacher encouraged her to try it, because doing a "silly voice or an accent" helped her "speak normally".

Blunt – who went on to appear in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada, and stars in the upcoming A Quiet Place II with her husband John Krasinski – believes that her stutter was "the making of me" and made her more "empathetic and observant".

She said: "You learn great empathy and to watch people very closely, because often you can’t speak. So you observe everything. You read every nuance of every person you’re talking to."

Read more: Woman who suddenly developed a stammer shares the worst thing people do to 'help'

In May, Blunt revealed that she and Krasinski were determined to keep their children "oblivious" to their Hollywood stardom for as long as possible.

She said they were raising their young daughters – seven-year-old Hazel and four-year-old Violet – to "not feel any more important or special" than anyone else.

Speaking to The Sunday Times' Style magazine, Blunt said: "It’s a strange thing to navigate, you know.

"Because Hazel came home the other day and we were in the kitchen and she goes, ‘Are you famous?’ And I’d never heard her... we’ve never said that word in our house. We don’t talk about it."

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