‘My biggest fear’: Chris Hemsworth reveals shock health warning

Australia’s Hollywood icon, best known as the God of Thunder, has received a life-changing health warning that brought the Thor star crashing down to earth.

Actor Chris Hemsworth was confronted with “my biggest fear” with the diagnosis of a genetic predisposition for Alzheimer’s disease.

The Thor star revealed he is “eight to 10 times more likely” to contract the progressive mental deterioration of the disease because he carries two copies of the APOE4 gene — one each from his mother and father.

“Most of us, we like to avoid speaking about death,” Hemsworth, 39, told Vanity Fair.

“Then to all of a sudden be told some big indicators are actually pointing to this as the route which is going to happen, the reality of it sinks in. Your own mortality.”

Chris Hemsworth attends National Geographic's ‘Limitless’ screening in New York City. Picture: Getty Images

The actor discovered he was among the two to three per cent of the population that carry two copies of the Alzheimer’s gene as part of his National Geographic docuseries, Limitless.

While it’s not a hard diagnosis, it makes him significantly more likely to contract Alzheimer’s, which his grandfather is currently suffering from.

“It’s like one in a thousand people … or one in 10,000. I can’t remember,” he tells Vanity Fair. “I feel like my memory’s getting worse. It’s a placebo effect — or it’s taking place!”

Despite joking about his memory lapse, Hemsworth said the diagnosis was “confronting initially” and that there was an “intensity to navigating” how to change his life and take preventive measures.

“When you have predisposition to cardiovascular heart disease, cancer, anything — it’s all about sleep management, stress management, nutrition, movement, fitness. It’s all kind of the same tools that need to be applied in a consistent way.”

“For me, the positive of it was like, “Right, if I didn’t know this (Alzheimer’s) information, I wouldn’t have made the changes I made,” he added.

Chris Hemsworth attends National Geographic's ‘Limitless’ screening in New York City. Picture: Getty Images

A scene from Thor: The Dark World. Picture: Supplied

Hemsworth received his diagnosis while working on his new series about pushing the limits of ageing, and pushing back against the natural decline that comes with age.

He was offered two ways of filming episode five of Limitless, titled “Memory”, one where he spoke about it, and one where he kept the deeply personal health information private.

“I thought, ‘No, look, if this is a motivator for people to take better care of themselves and also understand that there are steps you can take — then fantastic’,” Hemsworth said.

“My concern was I just didn’t want to manipulate it and overdramatise it, and make it into some sort of hokey grab at empathy or whatever for entertainment.”

Hemsworth said Limitless started being a fun exploration of longevity but became more poignant than he every thought, and it became a catalyst to living better now to benefit his future self.

“OK, great. I now have to work on this more. If you look at Alzheimer’s prevention, the benefit of preventive steps is that it affects the rest of your life,” he said.

“It’s not a pre-deterministic gene, but it is a strong indication,” he added.

Chris Hemsworth during a home workout posted to his Instagram story. Picture: Instagram

Vanity Fair interview highlights:

PLAYING THOR AGAIN

“I don’t know. I think there’d be more to say if the people want to hear me say it,” he said. “I’m completely open to it, if there is something unique and fresh and unexpected to do with the character and the world. I’ve always loved the experience. I’ve been very thankful I’ve been able to do something different each time.”

BULKING UP FOR ROLES

“The discipline to it is like —you need to be obsessive about it. And at times it breeds insanity. You’re counting calories, and is there oil in that or butter? What’s in there? Dressing on the side? There’s a militant approach that you have. But I don’t know, I feel like over the years I’ve gotten the swing of it.”

CHEAT DAYS

“It’s exhausting. You have a cheat day as far as you need time to repair. It’s just as important. But then once that first meal’s out of the way and you’ve eaten all those doughnuts and pizza, you feel horrendous. So, I’m a little smarter with my cheat day. It becomes a cheat meal now just because I usually don’t feel great afterwards. It seems like a great idea at the time.”

HOME LIFE

“We live on about 11 acres along the coast, and then we have a big farm nearby with a bunch of horses on it. And my kids are as outdoorsy and adventurous as they come. It’s about trying to keep up with them these days. We’re very, very lucky.”