Actress Georgie Henley of 'The Chronicles of Narnia' fame reveals that she had surgery to avoid arm amputation after contracting rare infection

Actress Georgie Henley, who played the role of Lucy in "The Chronicles of Narnia" movies, has publicly revealed that at the age of 18, she underwent "gruelling invasive surgery" to avoid an arm amputation after getting a rare infection.

"When I was eighteen years old and in my sixth week of university, I contracted necrotising fasciitis, a rare and punishing infection that nearly claimed my life and wrought havoc throughout my body. In order to prevent the amputation of my left hand and arm I received gruelling invasive surgery, and later extensive reconstructive surgery which resulted in a series of skin grafts and scars," Henley wrote in an Instagram post.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes the condition of necrotizing fasciitis as "a rare bacterial infection that spreads quickly in the body and can cause death."

"There are many types of bacteria that can cause the 'flesh-eating disease' called necrotizing fasciitis. Public health experts believe group A Streptococcus (group A strep) is the most common cause of necrotizing fasciitis," according to the CDC.

"It has taken me a long time to heal both physically and mentally but I hoped that one day there would be the right time to talk about what happened. Today is a start," the 27-year-old actress noted.

"For the last nine years I have been open about my scars in my personal life, but have hidden them entirely in any professional context: wearing bandages or coverings, makeup on set and stage, long sleeves whenever I might be photographed, trousers so I could put my hand in a pocket," she noted. "But my scars are not something to be ashamed of. They are a map of the pain my body has endured, and most importantly a reminder of my survival. They do not affect my capacity as an actor, and I'm proud to be a person who has visible scars in this industry."

Henley's scars can be seen in the photo that she shared in the post.