Importance Score: 70 / 100 🔴
Selma Blair Announces Multiple Sclerosis is in Remission
Great news for Selma Blair! The actress, known for her roles in films like “Legally Blonde,” has revealed that her multiple sclerosis (MS) is now in “true remission.” After being diagnosed with the chronic illness in 2018, Blair, 55, shared her positive health update and discussed her future aspirations. The actress spoke during The Daily Front Row’s 9th Annual Fashion Los Angeles Awards on Thursday, April 24.
Feeling Amazingly Well After MS Diagnosis
Blair told People, “I am doing amazingly well. I’ve been feeling great for about a year.”
She elaborated on how her improved health has impacted her daily life:
“But I am finally well enough to really, genuinely – I always try and feel my best – but now that I actually have stamina and energy and getting out and going out isn’t so scary.”
Eyes Return to Acting
The “Cruel Intentions” star also expressed her eagerness to get back into acting now that her MS is in remission. She is optimistic about what’s ahead and is eager to dive back into her passions.
“It’s funny, I haven’t spent enough time having dreams,” the mom-of-one said at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. “And now it’s like, what are my dreams?”
“I think maybe since the diagnosis, you’re just tired all the time,” she continued. “I spent so much of my life so tired from being unwell that I think I just was trying to get through the day.”
“And now it’s like, wait,” Blair added, “I realize I don’t know what my goals are.”
Future Plans Include Advocacy and Writing
While her future ambitions are now “much more career-oriented”, Blair affirmed her commitment to “advocating for people with chronic illness.”
“But now I still am advocating for people with chronic illness and getting better, and what that looks like when you haven’t made your wishes,” she said. “How do we give ourselves a new life force?”
The author of “Mean Baby: A Memoir of Growing Up” also shared her aspiration to write a young adult book now that she feels she has a fresh start on life.
Honoring Betsey Johnson
At the Fashion Los Angeles Awards, Blair presented Betsey Johnson with a Lifetime Achievement Award, referring to the designer as an “icon” and her “spirit animal.”
“Betsey was my icon as a child. Of course, we love Chanel or Cacharel, but Betsey for young people was our couture that could be attainable,” the “Hellboy” actress remarked.
“But also, Betsey was always a good time,” Blair continued. “I remember doing cartwheels down the runway, and she was my spirit animal.”
Reflecting on MS Diagnosis
Blair publicly announced her MS diagnosis in August 2018 through a heartfelt Instagram post where she was transparent about the challenges she was facing at the time.
“I have [multiple sclerosis]. I am in an exacerbation,” she revealed then. “By the grace of the lord, and will power and the understanding producers at Netflix, I have a job. A wonderful job.”
She detailed the symptoms she experienced:
- “I am disabled.”
- “I fall sometimes.”
- “I drop things.”
- “My memory is foggy.”
- “And my left side is asking for directions from a broken GPS.”
She concluded with an optimistic outlook, saying, “But we are doing it. And I laugh and I don’t know exactly what I will do precisely, but I will do my best.”
She previously spoke candidly about her battle with the autoimmune disease and its impact on the central nervous system during an appearance on “The Drew Barrymore Show” in February.