Actress Selma Blair has announced her withdrawal from the US competition show Dancing With the Stars due to health issues related to multiple sclerosis (MS).
On Monday night’s show, the star tearfully told her competition partner Sasha Farber that she would have to quit the show, but was determined to perform one last ballroom dance before leaving.
The 50-year-old was diagnosed with a lifelong disease affecting the brain and nerves in 2018, which she said was her most memorable year, having been ill for “so many years” before her diagnosis.
In a pre-recorded clip, she told Farber that she had been “monitored and contacted” by doctors throughout her filming of the series, and recently had some MRI scans.
“The results came back and it all showed that I couldn’t keep playing,” Blair said.
“I tried my best. Sorry, Sash.”
Turning to face the camera, holding back her tears, she explained, “You do have special considerations for chronic diseases, and my body must have been hit.
“It’s too much for my bone safety. With just severe bone trauma and inflammation between tears and tears, I could do extensive damage, which of course, I don’t want to do.”
Selma Blair and Sasha Farber get top score of 40 for last dance on show
“For everyone who has tried and wished to do more”
However, Blair insisted she wanted to perform “The Last Beautiful Dance”, with last night’s show challenging the stars’ emotional conventions to showcase the most impactful years of their lives.
“It’s a dance for everyone who has tried and wished to do more, and a strength to realize when it’s time to walk away. I’m grateful to be able to do one last gentle dance,” she said.
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Dancing to the song What The World Needs Now, Blair and Farber’s dazzling waltz earned a perfect 40 from the judges.
Many of Blair’s rivals and the audience can be seen crying after the emotional performance.
“You continue to inspire millions around the world”
In an Instagram post, Dancing With the Stars praised the duo, saying: “Selma Blair and Sasha Farber gave us an unforgettable night with a fantastic finale.
“Thank you, Thelma, for inspiring us with your perseverance and radiant energy.”
Others described the actress as an “inspiration”, “world changer” and “dance queen”.
The National MS Society thanked Blair for sharing her condition.
“Selma Blair, your journey with Dancing with the Stars may be over, but you continue to inspire nearly 1 million people with multiple sclerosis in the United States and millions of people with multiple sclerosis around the world,” the group tweeted. Sexual sclerosis patients.”
Throughout her career, Blair has co-starred in numerous films and TV shows, including the 2001 hit “Legal Blonde.”
In 1999, she got her big break in the cult classic “Cruel Intentions,” and she went public with her MS diagnosis in the 2021 documentary “Introduction.”