Selma Blair makes return to Dancing With the Stars for stunning finale performance

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Tell me how we're supposed to breathe after Selma Blair's finale performance.

The actress returned to Dancing With the Stars for the season 31 finale alongside professional partner Sasha Farber. The couple performed a contemporary routine to Jordin Sparks' hit single, "No Air," which fellow season 31 contestant Sparks sang live.

It was another stellar performance from the star, executed with flare and deep emotion. Blair was an early favorite to win this season of the Disney+ reality competition, but she had to bow out early the week of Oct. 17 for health reasons related to her MS diagnosis.

"I had these MRIs and the results came back and it just all adds up to I can't go on with the competition," she told Farber in their rehearsal package that week. "With a chronic illness, you do need special considerations. My body is taking a hit. It's way too much for my bones. There's just way too much bone trauma and inflammation... that I do not want."

The night of her exit, Blair told the press that she wished she could've had the chance to do a contemporary routine during her stint on the show. But she also was wary of how taxing that could be on her body. "The reality is sometimes when you come into things with a chronic illness or a history of a health thing," she added. "Sometimes you just really have to take care of yourself and it's not all possible."

But on Monday night, Blair got to live that dream with her special finale performance.

SELMA BLAIR, SASHA FARBER
SELMA BLAIR, SASHA FARBER

Nathan Martin/ABC Selma Blair and dance partner Sasha Farber

Despite her early finish, Blair proved an inspiration to her fellow contestants, audiences at home, her partner, Farber, and even herself, saying on the night of her final performance: "This is a dance for everyone who had tried and hoped they could do more, but also the power in realizing when it's time to walk away."

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