Selma Blair 'So Proud' of Her Strength in DWTS Performance amid Multiple Sclerosis Journey
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Selma Blair showed off her physical strength this week in her Dancing with the Stars debut.
On Monday night, the Legally Blonde star, 50, took the stage with pro dancer Sasha Farber, bringing fans and the judges to tears with her moving performance. Blair — who has been open about her multiple sclerosis diagnosis and how she hopes to make a statement on the show — left her cane behind and danced an elegant routine to David Cook's "Time of My Life."
After the performance, which earned the pair a 28/40 from the judges, the actress told Access Hollywood that the experience "felt amazing."
"I actually never had a dance before with anyone… I never had someone ask me to dance in that way," Blair told the outlet. "To learn at least one dance, I mean the gratitude. To have Sasha hold me in a frame so I could leave my walking assistance behind and feel like, 'Wow, he can help me be fluid and move,' and knowing how much support from people literally, physically, and figuratively, what it means and it feels so good… it did, it felt like a fairy tale."
Blair then reflected on the moment when she let go of her cane at the beginning of her emotional performance.
"My cane has been amazing… I have such balance issues… I have such love for my cane, for all my canes, but to leave it behind and say, 'I am going to have a person support me now,' it's a totally new thing, physically… I have been a single mom. I've always loved supporting people, and then to have so many people support me, heaven," she said.
ABC/Eric McCandless
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The actress admitted that she's "so proud" to be feeling good physically and getting stronger each day.
"The main thing was I had really kind of stalled in a point of recovery. I just couldn't get motivated to get stronger… Then this opportunity came and for the first time in my life I was like, 'Yeah, it makes sense…' I want to start learning how to build myself up again," Blair continued. "Even though I am comfortable with myself, I have not been that strong. I just want to say, I think that people might look at MS or chronic illnesses as one thing, but all of us in the community know, it's just as varied as everyone else everywhere, and with support it's amazing what we can do."
Andrew Eccles/abc Selma Blair and Sasha Farber
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Blair was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018 and has since shared a candid look at what it's like to manage MS while having a career and family.
Earlier this month, she explained that she's doing DWTS not only for herself, but also for those who have supported her health journey.
"It is for the viewer, because that is what has given me support. In dark times in my life, there are people that have come forward — strangers on the street or on Instagram, my original fans ... I'm doing it for them," the Cruel Intentions star said.
"Kindness and visibility is so important — to explore, be curious and expose people to differences of speech or movement," she added. "It's for everyone at home that it resonates with."
