Maria Kanellopoulou, a Greek actress and former member of parliament for the left-wing Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA), has been hospitalized after a serious car accident, Greek media reported on the afternoon of Friday, September 4.
Kanellopoulou was injured when her car struck a wall. According to reports, the injury affects her spine, but her life is not in danger.
The news was first reported by the television programme Studio at 3 (Studio στις 3), whose journalists contacted Kanellopoulou and confirmed that she was receiving hospital treatment following the crash.
A cryptic post before the crash
One day before news of the accident broke, Kanellopoulou had posted a message on Facebook that raised questions among her followers. Without explaining what had happened, she wrote that she did not have time for more pain, accompanying the words with sad emojis.
A few hours later, the picture became clearer, as it emerged that the actress had been seriously injured in a car accident and needed to be taken to hospital. Despite the severity of her injuries, the reports circulating at the time said Kanellopoulou was not in danger.
'A tougher nut than she thinks'
Actor Vangelis Gettos had earlier shared a personal message about Kanellopoulou's condition, describing his close relationship with her and pointing to her strength.
In his post, Gettos referred to a photograph of Kanellopoulou giving testimony at the trial of the far-right Golden Dawn party, which he chose as a reminder of the composure she had shown at the time. Golden Dawn's leadership was later convicted over the killing of Greek anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyssas and other crimes, in a case that drew wide international attention.
Gettos wrote that Kanellopoulou was like a second mother and a teacher to him, and that she was being tested. He said that because she was a tougher nut than she thought, he wanted to remind her of that photograph, her testimony at the Golden Dawn trial, describing her as a rock, with kindness and courage etched into every pore of her face. He added that her family, her colleagues and her friends were all sending her strength from everywhere, and that she would overcome this too because they needed her. He signed off with a postscript stating that she was not in danger.
Gettos's post echoed the earlier reports that, despite her injuries, Kanellopoulou's life is not at risk.
