'I'll never again take blinking for granted': model Amy Zahra on face paralysis

When model Amy Zahra started to feel numbness and strange tightness on one side of her face last April, she believed she was having a stroke, and the fear was overwhelming.

“I could not blink my right eye,” she said, recalling the feeling as she drove to her doctor the next day, with the situation worsening.

It was not a stroke. Zahra, 27, was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy, a sudden weakness or paralysis on one side of the face, caused by inflammation of the facial nerve and often triggered by a viral infection.

“It comes on fast and can look terrifyingly similar to a stroke,” she explained.

While most people recover fully within months, some experience lingering weakness, and in some cases, especially if severe or untreated, the condition might not fully resolve.

Lawyer Amy Zahra is also a model and has graced many catwalks.

The low-key model, who has graced many a catwalk, has now opened up about her experience with Bell’s Palsy, claiming that “if this helps even one person listen to their body or feel less alone, then it is worth it”.

She shared her post on social media at the start of the year because “I remember how alone I felt”.

The video shows her grimacing and unable to move the right side of her face, a look of bewilderment and frustration, and the motions and massaging techniques she went through to get back to herself.

As she stepped into the new year, Zahra has been reflecting on what she described as one of the hardest moments of 2025 – an experience that taught her not to take anything for granted, especially her health.

The model trying to smile, while the left hand side of her face refuses to budge. Photo: Amy Zahra

Looking back at the “biggest lesson", Zahra urged people to seek urgent medical help if something felt wrong.

She said the weeks that followed the Puttinu Walk with her mother on April 18, when she started to feel the strange symptoms, were “emotionally tough”.

Zahra said progress was slow and the waiting was draining. But with early treatment, patience and the “incredible” support of family, friends and medics, she made a full recovery after five weeks – “something I will never take for granted”.

Neither would she ever again take simple movements like smiling, lifting her eyebrow, or even blinking for granted.

In her post, she thanked her GP, Dr Alexia Harney, the staff at Mater Dei Hospital for their swift care and compassion, and the physiotherapists “for helping me get my smile back".

“Thank you to God for strength, healing and grace when I needed it most,” she continued as she walked into 2026 with “gratitude and a whole lot of perspective”.