Orlando Bloom on Growing Up

Tue, 17 April 2007 12:00:00 ET

Orlando Bloom broke his back when he was just 21 and was told he might never walk again.The 'Pirates of the Caribbean' star fell three floors from a balcony and doctors prepared him for the devastating possibility he may be paralyzed for life.

Orlando, now 30, said in an interview with Details magazine: "For four days I was thinking this was it, that I would be living my life in a wheelchair, and then I thought, no, and I knew I would walk. I just knew." But fortunately for the 'Lord of the Rings' star he walked out of hospital just 12 days after the accident.

The British actor - who briefly dated Penelope Cruz this year - has also revealed he discovered as a teenager that the man he called dad was not his real father. He said: "Think about that. Think about finding out when you're 13 that your dad is not your dad. It's like, OK, take it on the chin and keep going. No choice, really."