Among the actresses associated with the James Bond franchise, Gemma Arterton stands out for different reasons. For starters, her bond character, Strawberry Fields, suffered the worst fate (she was found dead covered in an oil slick). At the same time, she was also rumored to be one of the most difficult Bond cast members to deal with behind the scenes.

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Meanwhile, few may also know that Arterton used to have a unique condition as a child. Specifically, it manifested in her hands.

What Was So Unique About Gemma Arterton’s Hands?

When she was younger, Arterton had polydactyly. That meant the actress had six fingers on each hand. For Arterton, the condition was unsurprising, given that polydactyly ran in the family. “My dad had them, and my grandad,” she revealed during an interview with Esquire. Arterton also never saw the condition as a problem. In fact, she embraced it, although not everyone around her has. “It's my little oddity that I'm really proud of,” the Bond actress remarked. “It makes me different.”

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Polydactyly is a condition wherein there are extra limbs in the hands or feet. Reports indicate that polydactyly affects one in 500 to 1,500 infants in the US. It can be detected prenatally during an ultrasound or diagnosed upon birth. The extra fingers or toes may just be made up of skin and soft tissue. In some cases, however, there may also be bone and tendon present.

There are also generally three recognized types of polydactyly. This is determined by the position of the extra digit. In the case of Arterton, her extra digit was reportedly found beside her little finger. On the other hand, a still of Arterton from the 2014 Gemma Bovery seem to indicate that one of her extra digits was found towards the central part of her right hand.

How Was Her Polydactyly Treated?

Arterton’s polydactyly was treated when she was just an infant. In fact, the doctor who had delivered the actress tied off the extra digits. (This seems to indicate that her extra limbs were only comprised of skin and soft tissue.) Eventually, the extra digits would fall off and leave small scars in the area. Once the procedure is done, it is believed that the patient can make a full recovery in just a couple of weeks (it seems to be the case with Arterton). More recently, however, it seems medical professionals don’t believe that this is the best way to treat the condition.

“This is no longer done because it causes pain for your child and will often leave a ‘bump,’” the Nationwide Children’s Hospital explained. “An extra finger or toe still has a nerve, vein, and artery. When the extra digit is tied off, the body tries to regrow the nerve.” Moreover, they also found that the bump can “cause pain and a ‘stinging’ sensation.”

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Because of this, the recommended course of treatment for polydactyly is now surgery, preferably before the child starts school. This is often a simple outpatient procedure where the young patient doesn’t even have to stay at the hospital overnight. That said, Arterton’s scars from the tied-off digits don’t seem to give her any discomfort.

Following Arterton’s revelation about her polydactyly, the actress was praised for helping put a spotlight on the condition. Dr. Terry Light, who served as the chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and Loyola University Health System for 25 years, even noted that publicity surrounding the British actress can inspire parents to develop a more optimistic outlook regarding their child’s own polydactyly. “We are always looking for success stories that can help an affected family and their child feel good about themselves,” Light once explained during a 2008 interview with New York Daily News. “So a movie coming out with a star who's had the condition could be very positive.” Around this time, there was so much buzz around the Bond film Quantum of Solace where Arterton starred opposite Daniel Craig.

Today, Arterton is set to appear in a number of upcoming films, including the prequel to the Kingsman movies entitled The King’s Man. And with Hollywood resuming production on several film, tv and streaming projects, the actress is busier than ever before, so much so that she believes her polydactyly could have given her an advantage. “We could do more stuff if we had extra fingers - faster texting, faster emailing, better guitar-playing,” Arterton once explained. The actress also further remarked, “I feel like we're one step ahead - a sign of things to come.”

In 2019, a research conducted by Imperial College London, University of Freiburg, EPFL, and Université de Lausanne found that one’s extra fingers can help the body and brain manage extra workload. So, it seems Arterton was onto to something all along.

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