Ashley Park gushes over Lily Collins as she returns after health scare

Ashley Park, who plays Mindy Chen on Netflix's Emily In Paris, has spoken about her close friendship with co-star Lily Collins, describing her as an "older sister."

In an interview with Harper's Bazaar UK, Ashley, 33, opened up about their relationship and also discussed her return to work after a health scare, where she suffered from septic shock.

Speaking of her friendship with Lily and how it helped her navigate the entertainment industry, Ashley said: "It would just have been too much of a whirlwind to do on my own.

"It was my first big on-screen job, so it was amazing to have the guidance of an 'older sister' in an environment that became way more high-stakes than we'd anticipated."

She added: "Lily doesn't believe me when I tell her this, but a week before the email came in asking me to audition, I'd just started to follow her on Instagram.

"I normally have a rule that I only follow people I know or have interacted with in some way, but Lily was one of the few I followed because I thought, I like this girl, I like her vibe – she seems really genuine and cool."

The actress has previously shared a harrowing health experience where she suffered from critical septic shock, which infected her organs and left her fighting for her life.

In January, the 32-year-old actress took to Instagram to recount the terrifying ordeal, which began with tonsillitis during a New Year's vacation in Thailand.

She described feeling "excruciating pain" and struggling with "so much confusion" before being admitted to the intensive care unit.