Selma Blair Talks Competing on 'Dancing With the Stars' With MS Diagnosis

By Stephen Andrew

Actress Selma Blair will be appearing on Dancing With the Stars this season, and she recently opened up about what it is like to compete while also living with MS. Speaking to ET about how Multiple Sclerosis, a nerve disorder that causes disruption in the connection between the brain and body, impacts her mobility, Blair shared that the dancing is actually not as challenging as some would expect. "Walking is much harder for me than when I can get into the groove of settling into dance and fluidity," she said.

"There is something when the nervous system and brain are calm," Blair explained, revealing that her symptoms worsen when she's feeling anxiety, which has led her to utilize her practices with her DWTS pro partner Sasha Farber as a form of therapy. "This is an amazing lesson to use my emotions and body together to unite a little more with the support of Sasha and music," she said. "Amazing things can happen and I hope that I can be an inspiration."

Speaking about his role in all of it, Farber confessed, "This isn't about a dance competition for me personally. I want Selma to improve and to grow." He also revealed that he has begun to see changes in the way Blair moves. "It was a thrill," the actress added. "I wasn't aware of what I could do, if I could safely push myself with some support and this is an amazing opportunity."

Blair first shared the news of her MS diagnosis back in late 2018. A few months later, in Feb. 2019, The Legally Blonde star sat down with Good Morning America correspondent Robin Roberts and shared what happened when doctors confirmed her illness. "I had tears," she said. "They weren't tears of panic, they were tears of knowing that I now had to give in to a body that had loss of control and there was some relief in that."

"There were times when I couldn't take it and I was really struggling with how I'm going to get by in life," she confessed, then going on to note that she felt like she was "not being taken seriously" by previous medical professionals whom she'd consulted with. "I dropped my son off at school a mile away and before I got home I'd have to pull over and take a nap … it was killing me," she recalled of the time before knowing exactly what was wrong with her body. "And so when I got the diagnosis, I cried with relief." Dancing With the Stars premieres Monday, Sept. 19 at 8 p.m. ET., only on Disney+.

0comments
Start the Conversation

of